


So Far, So Good

by DVwrites, rainbowwrites



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied Chronic Pain (Noctis), M/M, Modern AU, Mpreg, Multi, Polyamory, Prompto with ADHD, That theory that Cor is the one who took Prompto from the Empire as a baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-05 11:57:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18365537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DVwrites/pseuds/DVwrites, https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowwrites/pseuds/rainbowwrites
Summary: Accidents happen all the time - to someone else, sure, but it never felt like a chance they'd have to take.Now Noctis, Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis not only have to navigate the new territory that is the less than traditional relationship between them all, but wade through the uncertain waters of starting a family that wasn't planned in the slightest, all while hoping it could work out in the end.With close friends on their side, support from unexpected places and new challenges to placate, it might just be the hardest, yet most rewarding thing they've ever had to do.





	1. This Is Happening

Noctis never usually got sick, which was in direct juxtaposition to his medical history. At least, not so much as an adult. Being in your mid twenties had its perks, which included new wisdom and more socks for Christmas, not to mention a more sound foundation of physical health. Maybe it was something to do with training since he was young, but he'd never let Gladio know that.

It's within this vein of thought that Noct, two days after Prompto got sick, also got sick. Not any kind of fever or chills, though, just a really bad stomach bug.

It kept him over the toilet bowl most of the morning that day, and when he finally felt well enough to move, he practically crawled down the landing to his room, where Prompto likely was, having used the other nearby toilet to throw up too. Probably.

He groaned, pulling himself into his bed and lying on his back, arm over his stomach.

"Were you bitten by a morning werewolf or something?" He asked the other, squeezing his eyes shut.

Sometimes Prompto got sick - it happened to everyone. Except Gladio, who seemed to have the immune system of a god.

Still, Prompto found it strange that he was waking up nearly every morning with an overwhelming need to throw up or that certain foods that never used to bother him - some he even genuinely liked - were causing the same reaction.

He had never been sick like this before; either he kept nothing down or didn't throw up, not this weird picking and choosing that made every meal a minefield.

When he wasn't throwing up, he was tired. Really, really tired. Prompto just chalked this up to being ill and spent most of his time in Noct's bed, seeking out affection in his illness.

At least Noct seemed to have it too which sucked for him, but it meant someone understood Prompto's misery. He only shifted slightly when Noct joined him, having found a semi-decent position on his side.

"I'm a good person, Noct. I don't deserve things like this," He curled up more, trying to wish away a new wave of nausea at the smell of food.

"You must have done something," Noct tried his best to shuffle onto his side so as to face Prompto, giving him a weak smile to show he was joking, but he ended up groaning again and just lying there, arms now wrapped around his stomach.

"You had it first. I blame you." He said simply, taking low breaths to help to nausea.

His hand moved from his torso to find Prompto's hand, linking their fingers.

"Nuh uh, I'm blaming you. You cursed me or something," Prompto pouted back, but still linked his fingers with Noct's. He just wanted this bug to be over - he was sick and tired of being, well, sick and tired. He missed actually enjoying Iggy's cooking all the time instead of just parts that his body had deemed acceptable.

"You must have offended the local witch and dragged me with you," He joked, but stayed curled up and felt a bit of relief as the wave of nausea started to pass. It wasn't as if he had anything left to throw up anyway.

In its wake he found himself starving, a demon-like hunger that he only ever experienced after his heats.

He hoped whatever Iggy was making was good.

"Local witch?" This time, Noct really did laugh, able to feel the pain in his stomach falling away very slowly. Maybe he could try eating soon.

Iggy was likely making soup - that's always what he did when they were ill, and he knew that by this time, they'd feel a bit better and be able to wolf down whatever he made.

Noctis was seriously looking forward to bread rolls, for whatever reason. He pushed himself up using his free arm and used the other to pull Prompto up with him, albeit gently. "C'mon, dude. Food time."

Prompto nodded as he helped Noctis haul him up.

"I'm starving, man!" He smiled, trying for his usual cheer but falling a little short, as he was still ill and tired. "I've never been so excited for soup in my life,"

Ignis, meanwhile, was downstairs, at the kitchen stove.

To say that the house smelt strange was an understatement. It wasn't so strong that Ignis couldn't ignore it, but still there enough for him to notice.

It wasn't anything he'd really smelled before, and wasn't something he could really place. It wasn't the food so much as something that felt tied to basic instinct, but as he could not entirely narrow down what it was, he decided to put it to the back of his mind as he prepared soup for the rest of the house's occupants. If the boys had to have soup, so did Gladio.

Not that the tattooed male would complain.

Gladio, however, had noticed something was up as soon as he had woken up a few days ago. Something in the house smelled really off in a way that he had never smelled before. 

It was always strongest whenever Prompto or Noctis were around, so he knew it had something to do with them, but he wasn't sure what exactly.

He absently stared at Ignis, having spent the best part of three days trying to figure it out. If it was Prompto and Noctis causing the smell, then it had to be an omega thing. It wasn't a smell that was like either of their heats and anyway, neither of them were even due one.

Even Noctis had been starting to level out a bit there, especially after coming off of his suppressants, having discovered only a year ago that he was actually an omega, so what else would there be?

They were sick - was that causing it?

But Prompto had been ill before and this had never happened. It started when they got sick, so it had to be...

A thought struck Gladio that made him seize up, colour draining from his face.

Fuck.

Having watched him out of his peripheral vision whilst he hummed away his work at the culinary arts, it didn't take much for Ignis to notice a change in the other man.

A somewhat worried and perplexed expression played subtly on his face for a moment as he turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Is something wrong, Gladio?"

Gladio’s face fell.

He had to be sure. Maybe he was misinterpreting something or just jumping to the wildest conclusion. That happened all the time, right?

But the thought wouldn't go until they did something about it.

"I'll be right back." He mumbled quickly, still distracted as he grabbed his wallet and all but ran to the nearest shop. 

Ignis waited patiently for Gladio's return, starting to quickly cotton on to what he was implying by being so frightened all of a sudden. He ran over the likelihood of that being the case in his head, trying to put his focus on stirring the soup clockwise, right up until Gladio returned, where he completely turned the hob off and put his full attention on the other.

He pushed his glasses up, speaking before Gladio could. "I think it's best we let them know that we want to be sure, and let them test it."

Gladio nodded, breathing a sigh of relief that Ignis had picked up on what he was thinking.

This was going to be awkward enough without having to convince Iggy too.

"Yeah, yeah of course we'll tell them first. We kinda have to, right?" He didn't know how this worked - this had never happened before.

He ran a hand over his face, startling in a slightly out of character way when he heard the others come downstairs.

Okay, they were doing this now. Cool. Fuck.

Prompto stopped as soon as he got to the bottom of the stairs, already sensing the tension coming from the kitchen.

He took a tentative step in, pulling Noctis along with him.

Noctis probably would have noticed very little had he not caught sight of everyone's face, and noted the way Prompto anxiously stepped into the kitchen. He looked between Gladio and Ignis, eyebrows raised.

He kept his hand in Prompto's, squeezing it.

"What's going on? Why the weird..." He gestured with his free hand. "Faces,"

Ignis shared one more glance with Gladiolus, before exhaling a long breath, sitting down at the table.

"It's nothing to be worried about, but we were just concerned that there might be a particular reason for your sudden morning sickness and we thought that we should buy the appropriate tests for it," He frowned. "It could just be nothing, but it's a necessary precaution."

Noctis looked even more confused for a moment, before realisation hit him like a truck to the face, catching on slowly at 'morning sickness'.

"You think we're pregnant?" The edges of his lips twitched. "Seriously?"

At this point, Prompto went pale.

Maybe Noctis could be cool about it, but the blonde instantly started panicking at the mention of being pregnant.

It wasn't like it was completely out of the question, and he had been feeling really weird lately. Still, it was just a stomach bug, right? They'd just caught something. It was fine. 

It wasn't going to be _babies_ \- right?

His thoughts started spilling out as nervous babble.

"It's just a stomach thing though, isn't it? We're not-...we're just sick! We can't have babies, we were careful! I mean...I mean, we'd know, right? Wouldn't Noct and I know first? Like, wouldn't we be able to sense it or something?"

He knew he needed to shut up, but he couldn't help it. All of them were so high up in the world, and Noct was royalty; they couldn't be having kids.

Gladio frowned as Prompto started talking incessantly.

Noctis was taking it surprisingly well and for once his nonchalance was working in Gladio's favour. He wasn't sure how he could handle both of them freaking out.

He looked back at Ignis pleadingly before trying to calm Prompto down.

"Look, we just want to be sure, yeah? It's probably fine, but better safe than sorry, right?"

He wasn't sure by a long shot if it was all going to be fine, but the last thing he needed was everything going to hell before they even had the tests done yet.

"Seriously." Ignis responded to Noct's question, before moving onto Prompto, who he could tell was just as nervous as he looked. 

"Prompto, it could all be fine, and we will easily laugh it off and be more careful if the next heat comes around and we fall prey to it again. I won't lie and say that I'm completely convinced that it isn't the case, but it's best we find out now, rather than ignore the possibility,"

Now Noctis was starting to bristle a little.

Maybe it was the nerves that clenched his stomach the more Ignis spoke, or maybe it was a little bit down to the fact that Noct had only just started to get used to the fact that he'd been lied to all of his life and was actually an omega, and now he may have possibly done the stupidest thing he could have done in regards to actually being one, whilst being the heir to an actual throne.

Maybe it was the ever present reminder of the thing Noctis hated - his royal bloodline and duty to eventually fulfil - or maybe it was just the fact that everyone was panicking before they'd even made sure.

"We're not pregnant, it's just a stomach bug. Prompto got it and then I got it," His brow furrowed, folding his arms across his chest, before reaching a hand out towards Gladio.

"Pass me the stupid test. We'll both do one and then you guys are gonna look really dumb when we're not."

Gladio handed the box over to Noctis, the lines of his face set in complete solemnity as he did so.

He had to make sure not to snap at him - it wouldn't be any good to go for each other's throats, especially while they were all being kept in limbo.

"Just, go do them and we'll go from there, ok? If it's all fine, you guys can pick what we have for dinner or some stupid shit like that," That'd keep them happy for a little while, at least.

He didn't know what they'd do if it wasn't all clear - they were just going to have to deal with it if it came up.

Either way, Gladio was sufficiently scared off heat sex for a while.

Prompto nervously followed Noctis upstairs, biting on his lip so hard he was practically tearing skin off.

He wasn't sure why Noct wasn't freaking out more - he was terrified. This could be so bad for everyone, all because they had gotten stupid.

"Noct," He managed meekly as they got upstairs. "What if it comes back positive? What do we do?"

He hadn't been this scared for a while, and for the first time since he was little he really wished he had parents to turn to for comfort and advice.

He wished he could be as sure as Noct was that this was going to be okay, but Prompto couldn't shake the feeling that Gladio and Ignis had been right.

This was by far potentially the stupidest thing he'd ever done.

Noctis led the way into the upstairs bathroom, waiting for the blonde to enter too before he closed the door and locked it.

Obviously, there was no need to lock it, considering that the other two occupants of the house had seen everything and more, but he didn't really want them to interrupt them mid conversation, or even mid-peeing-on-a-stick-to-determine-how-badly-you'd-fucked-up.

Which could be pretty badly.

He lowered his voice, staring at the box for a moment. "I don't know." Was his honest answer, feeling the previous irritation falling away to the nerves that pricked at his skin. "I guess we just have to hope it's not.”

\----

It'd been a minute since they'd both peed on an individual test. It'd looked expensive, which, thank God, because they could really do with trusting these ones. It was important, after all.

He'd sat down at the side of the bath, leaning his spine against it, the test held in his hand, waiting.

After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke, looking up at Prompto.

"My dad would kill me. Can you imagine?" His frown deepened. "I've only been an omega....technically, for a year."

Prompto breathed out deeply through his nose, not daring to look anywhere near his test.

Ignis had been right, they couldn't ignore this, but he was happy still pretending there was a chance nothing was wrong.

That test could change everything, so he was still working up the nerve to even acknowledge that he was holding it.

This could ruin everything. What would he do if he were pregnant?

Prompto wasn't-, well, he had never thought about kids.

He never assumed he'd end up with anyone long enough for it to be a possibility. He never assumed he'd even get to this point, but he had hoped that if he ever did, he'd be more excited than nervous.

"Yeah, I mean...I'm pretty sure Gladio's dad would kill us both,"

Fuck, they'd have to tell Clarus. And Regis. Fuck. This was going to be awful. They'd never let Prompto near any of them again, since this would all somehow come back to him. He could just sense it.

"But, uh, it'll be fine, right? We should just start thinking about what take out we can make Iggy buy or something," He laughed, but it died quickly.

"They're sworn to protect me, so they can't kill me," Noct huffed, an attempt at a joke that fell rather deadpan. "I'll protect you though," He added on, looking to the blonde through his eyelashes, chewing on his lower lip. "Seriously. I'll...make sure this is ok. Okay?"

He had tried, and that was all that mattered, because after a while, he got the itch to look at the test.

He stared at it for a good few seconds, before checking the back of the box.

His stomach dropped.

He was pretty sure it was evident in his face, even as he closed his eyes and rested his head back, breathing out slowly.

"Fuck,"

Prompto tried to huff out a laugh with him, but felt himself welling up slightly. It had been an emotional day already, but knowing that whatever happened Noctis would have his back was just the final straw. Whatever did happen, they would be in it together and that would make it more bearable. It gave him a small burst of courage.

Which lasted until he saw Noct's face fall.

He knew what that meant before Noctis even spoke.

He lifted his own test up with slightly shaking hands, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before he looked. Really looked. He consulted the back of the box and looked again. Then repeated.

No. Shit. Fuck, no.

He shook his head, feeling the tears and shakes coming back again. "No. No, Noct,”

Noct's eyes flickered open, looking to meet Prompto's watery gaze.

He pushed down the panic in his voice and shifted so as to become level with Prompto, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"Hey, hey, look at me," He began, ignoring his own fear that chewed his stomach up. There was no way he could have a kid. Not with his royal duty at hand and not with his still secret status as an omega. But somehow, he'd make this ok.

"We'll figure it out, alright? Prom, it's gonna be okay,"

' _Somehow_ ', he forgot to add.

Prompto sniffled back his tears and he nodded, trying to keep himself as calm as Noct seemed to be right now.

If Noctis wasn't crying, he wouldn't be the one to start it. But still...he couldn't have a baby. Sure, babies were cute, but he couldn't actually raise one. He had stuff he needed to do first, he needed to get to actual adult level first. He once jumped out a second story window, for fuck's sake - he was a terrible role model.

"We...what are we gonna do?" For all he wasn't ready for children, Prompto wasn't sure he had it in him to...get rid of it.

Ignis, during this time, had noted that they'd been in the upstairs bathroom for a long time and threw Gladio a worried look.

"I think it's time to check in on them," He said, starting to climb the stairs as if the weight of what could be keeping them so long wasn't pulling him downwards with every step.

Gladio nodded, silent as he walked up behind Ignis.

He knew what the outcome was already - they would have come down by now, or at least he would have heard them cheering or something.

There was a slim chance that they were having suspiciously quiet celebratory sex, but he knew that wasn't happening.

Suddenly unsure once they reached the bathroom door, he settled for knocking. "Hey, can we come in?"

Ignis held back, settling to stand behind the taller man. 

What would meet him when they opened the door? Would there be tears, or quiet anxiety?

Would Noctis be angry? Hadn't Ignis failed to protect him by allowing this to happen? He knew he had to be ready and prepared for any situation, but he found himself at a loss, even with what to do with his hands. He simply kept them at his side.

Noctis paused for a second, mouth having opened as if to say something reassuring to Prompto, right before Gladio knocked.

He looked to Prompto's impossibly blue eyes and breathed out, picking up his test again.

"Guess we're doing this first, at least," He stood properly, back straight as he unlocked and opened the door. He opened his mouth again as if to say something, but found he couldn't, and instead opted for looking down at the ground, offering up the test to Gladio.

"It's clean. I mean, of pee. Sort of. I don't know. Take it or something," 

Gladio, sort of at a loss for what else to do, took the test from him, looking at it but not really processing what he was seeing.

He knew what it was telling him anyway, and he knew what Prompto's expression meant.

Shit, both of them.

It was his sworn duty to protect Noctis and they all relied on him to look after them. Now he was the cause for all this anxiety. He should have known better - no matter what hormones had been telling him, he should have known this was going to be the outcome.

He put it down just so he would have something to do.

"Fuck. Right. Okay."

Prompto, in that moment, couldn't look at Gladio or Ignis.

He had promised right when they all first met that he wouldn't be a burden or do anything to get Noctis in trouble, but it was _his_ heat that had triggered all this.

They had a system before and they should have just stuck with it.

Then this wouldn't be happening. He wouldn't be growing a literal human baby as they spoke. He was still stunned.

They would want him to get rid of it, which was the best thing to do, really. It'd be best for everyone, including the baby. 

 _Babies_ , fuck. Noct couldn't have his. Would it hurt? Could he even go through with it?

"What do we do?" He repeated, finally looking at the others with pleading eyes.

"I don't know if," Noctis began, maybe putting his foot in his mouth way too soon.

He looked back at Prompto, hoping he wasn't ruining everything everyone else wanted. Still, he had a right to be stubborn about this, considering everything.

"I don't know if I want to-..."

Ignis stepped forward now, catching on to what Noctis was going to say.

"Please," He placed hand on Noct's arm, glancing to Prompto and Gladio as if gauging the best way to say this. "Please think on what you want to do. I can't stop you from doing whatever it is you want, as it's your body, but I must urge you to think about the kingdom and your burden as prince. Is it...fair to raise a child into that secrecy? And surely, Gladiolus also gets a say, if he is the sole father, though we'll need a paternity test to really ascertain whether or not that's true,"

He found himself talking more as Noctis' expression worsened, wishing he could take it away from him.

Really, this decision was theirs to make, but Ignis wasn't going to leave them to be alone with it.

He knew the likelihood of a beta conceiving a child was incredibly unlikely, and so he wasn't going to leave Gladio alone in this either.

"Noctis, this is very serious."

Noct's brow furrowed, shrugging off Ignis' hand finally.

"I know how serious this is. I'm aware of the situation I'm in, and the situation that Prompto is in too. But you're right, it is my decision." He scowled a little, feeling, ultimately, defensive, as if this was an onslaught on them both, like it was their fault that their biology was like this.

Ignis sighed, though it was gentle, and masked how completely and utterly terrified he was.This was way bigger than all of them had expected.

"We should let the dust settle before we..." He cleared his throat. "Before you make a decision. Maybe consult a few people on what can be done, what our options are."

Prompto looked between them, knowing what Noctis was saying and what Ignis was asking him to do. It made him feel slightly better that maybe Noctis was having the same thoughts as he was, but what were they going to do if they kept the babies?

Would Noct have to tell everyone he was an omega? Would he have to hide it? Would they have to keep the kid hidden forever? That didn't seem fair, but it wouldn't be fair if he could keep his baby and Noctis couldn't, and Ignis was right - didn't Gladio have any opinions on this? Would he be sad if they didn't keep the kids?

Prompto could already tell he'd be miserable, but was it fair to keep his baby?

He had a million questions and answers to none of them.

He knew he was avoiding the situation, but he needed time to think; to get used to the idea and decide what he really wanted to do.

They were right - it was his body. Didn't he get the final say?

"I...I don't know what I want. I don't think I can..." He trailed off, going back to looking at the floor.

For Gladio, it was no secret that he wanted a family.

It was something he had been raised with - family was important, it meant a lot to him and he wanted to carry that on, but shit, this wasn't how this was supposed to go.

This was the opposite of what he wanted.

He'd let Noctis and Prompto down and now they were forced with a decision neither of them wanted to make.

He wished he could take it back.

For all Iggy was acting like there was a chance this wasn't all on him (which he appreciated, he really did), he knew what the odds were. There was no way he could be a proper dad to either of these kids.

Fuck, what was he going to tell _his_ dad?

"Iggy's right, we should just...I don't know, talk to people. Figure it out. We can't sit on this forever."

“Fine,” Was all Noctis had to say, before he pushed past the two of them and headed to his room, done with this conversation and harbouring a pressing urge to be away from something so overwhelming.

Prompto watched him go, brow knitted together and quickly back to chewing his lip nervously.

“I...I need to think for a moment,” He said as he followed in Noctis’ fashion and moved between the remaining two, heading to his room all too quickly, leaving Gladio and Ignis to exchange a quiet look.

With a band of silence stretching between them in the wake of Noctis and Prompto’s departure, Ignis’ gaze lingered on their closed doors, right up until Gladio’s hand on his forearm brought him back to reality.

“Hey,” Gladio began, lowering his eyelashes as he squeezed gently. “We’ll be alright. Give them time. We’ll think of something.Together.”

“I hope you’re right, Gladio.” Ignis exhaled.

With that, Ignis moved to go downstairs, and Gladio spared one last look towards the bedrooms before following suite.

This was some mess they were in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh geez thank you for reading chapter one!
> 
> We wrote about 56 pages of this and it was all one big rp, so if you want more, let us know and we'll get off our arses and try to post what we've got!
> 
> ALSO, bless you if you do want to read more of this, seeing as it's a weirdly niche fic with loads of references to our in jokes.
> 
> I know this chapter must seem kinda angsty but I promise you, it gets better!
> 
> And shoutout to my gf rainbowwrites for being the real OG and for dealing with all of my headcanons at 4am and for being an incredible writer! 🙏❤️


	2. The Things We Have To Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Noctis and Prompto coming to a final decision, the boys must find a way to breach an open conversation with not only the King's Shield, but the King himself. Knowing that secrecy must follow them wherever they go, they begin to piece together their plans for the future, but when the paternity test returns, progress feels temporarily out of reach.

It'd been a few days.

A few days of passing each other quietly, or stopping to make awkward conversation. So many times Noctis had watched Ignis open his mouth to say something more meaningful than 'what would you like for dinner', only to let it fall away with a sigh. Prompto had seemed on constant edge, and if Prompto was on edge, it was nothing compared to how tense Gladio seemed.

Prompto looked like he'd break if touched, and Gladio appeared ready to explode. They were all individually trying to hold it together, and none of them had told anyone else. Noctis hadn't a clear answer to give to anyone if he were to bring it up, and so he left it.

He'd texted Luna, only a few messages, letting her know what had happened and to make sure no one else knew.

He'd left the conversation hanging at 'what are you going to do?', because how could he answer that?

Finally, on the fifth day, he crawled into Prompto's bed and wrapped his arms around him, pulling them chest to chest, pressing his face into the other's collarbone. "You awake?"

Similarly, It had been the worst few days of Prompto's life.

It reminded him of being younger, just on the outside of something great but never able to push through into it. What he had wanted was some comfort or reassurance that he was going to be okay, but everyone was so tense that he didn't dare ask for it. He was sure he would cry if anyone tried to offer it anyway. He had already cried about three times when no one was looking because shit, he still couldn't believe he was in this situation.

He didn't know who to go to - who was allowed to know? Could he tell Cindy? Would she even know what to do?

Ultimately, he had to make the decision. It was keeping him up most nights so he was already awake when Noctis crawled into his bed.

He huffed a small laugh. "If I wasn't before, I am now. What's up?" He tried for casual, but his voice sounded slightly tight.

It took Noctis a while. He lay there, inhaling the other's comforting scent, closing his eyes and just letting his body de-tense for a moment. It wasn't in his nature to beat around the bush with anything, and having found himself comfortably dating - if that's what the four of them were doing - the three people he'd loved for a long time, he never found it in him to play pretend around them, so after another minute or so, he just came out with it.

"I want to keep it. Her. Or him. Whatever it is. I want to have it." He exhaled. "I'm....pretty nervous, dude, but I want this baby. I thought about it. I thought about having to do it without any of you guys too." He faltered a little on the last sentence.

Prompto's hand absently found Noct's hair, having missed this intimacy in the past few days.

He felt some more of the tension leave his body as he listened to Noctis, feeling slightly more confident in his own decision. He had tried to picture every option he had, but his mind had always gone back to one in particular. He had been pretty sure that was his mind making itself up, but now he felt better about it. He nodded until he remembered Noct's head was in his collar and therefore unable to look at him.

"Yeah...I mean, I...uh, I was thinking the same thing. I don't think I could ever, you know, get rid of it," He pulled Noctis a little closer, just enjoying having him around for another moment before talking again.

"I want to have this baby," It felt weird to say out loud, but not wrong.

"Same," He said simply, though it took a lot to say it. He breathed out a breath he didn't know he was holding, a small laugh riding out on it, relief evident in the way he pulled back and placed a small kiss on Prompto's lips.

He let their noses touch, even as he pulled back.

"Tiny socks," He whispered into the dark. "Tiny shoes, and tiny shirts....matching outfits,"

Prompto let out a small laugh of his own, placing another quick kiss on Noct's lips before rubbing his nose against Noct's. "You know I love tiny baby shoes, dude," He was smiling now, for the first time since this had all come out. This definitely felt like the right decision, even though he knew the others would be pretty mad. "They'll have little tiny baby hands, Noct. Do you think they make baby gloves?"

"Only if Ignis makes them," He snorted, lowering his eyelashes, relaxing into the mould of Prompto's body. "I mean, I'm pretty sure they make mittens and stuff, right?"

"I think he should make them mittens. Little matching ones, with hats," Prompto suggested, already picturing it.

He wasn't sure what his baby would look like - would they take mostly after him or Gladio? He was sure they'd be cute. Babies were cute - they had tiny hands and feet and fat little faces. "Do you think yours will be like, super chubby? They're the cutest ones,"

Ignis, at Gladio's insistence, really, knocked onto Prompto's bedroom door, having heard Noctis sneaking away into it and the following whispering that ensued. "Is it alright if I come in, gentlemen?"

Prompto froze when he heard Ignis, knowing that they still had to tell the others. He hoped they wouldn't be too mad.

"Y-yeah," He managed meekly, looking to Noctis for back up on this.

Gladio could hear it when Noctis crept into Prompto's room and knew what it was about. He had mainly gone to get Ignis for moral support, because he wasn't sure he wanted to hear their decisions either way.

So for now he was content to let Ignis take the lead, following him into the room.

Again, a band of silence passed between them, right before Noct broke it, having pushed himself up to sit on the bed. He kept his expression as neutral as possible, but inevitably, it ended up looking determined and stubborn.

"We're keeping the babies."

Ignis opened and closed his mouth, brow knitting together as he carefully chose his words. He wasn't entirely convinced that they're entirely thought this through. He couldn't help but sound a little urgent.

"Noct, Prompto, this is an incredibly important decision. Have you really thought this through completely?"

Noctis frowned, his arms folded and resting on his knees as he pulled them up.

"Yeah. Yeah, we've had a few days. I'm definitely sure, and so is Prompto."

As Ignis opened his mouth again, Noctis interrupted.

"We know what the risks are, and if you can't support us, we'll do it on our own if we have to. I've already told Luna that I'm....pregnant, she'll know what to do moving forward. It's our fake marriage at risk anyway."

Prompto felt his resolve crumble a little in the face of Ignis' slightly desperate words. He hadn't been included the last time - it had been all about Noct and his duty to the crown. Now he felt under scrutiny.

He wasn't backing out - he was too damn sold on these baby mittens - but still, the idea of having to do this without their support scared him.

He would always have Noct, but they needed all the help they could get. To think of their little foursome breaking up when they needed each other the most broke his heart a little.

"We have thought, Iggy - all I've done is think about it...but, but they're _our_ babies, right? You said! You said, its our bodies, so its our choice! Isn't it?"

Gladio had been dreading this conversation for this reason - a part of him had known they were going to choose this. He bristled a little as Noct mentioned doing this alone - there was no way he letting that happen.

"Look, you'll have us around. I'm not leaving any damn kids of mine," He almost growled out, slightly offended that Noct even thought that could happen. "But you've both got to know what a shitstorm this is going to cause. Are you sure you're ready for it?"

Noct gave Gladio a look back twice as strong, letting him know that he was firm in his decision, even if his heart swelled up at Gladio reminding them that he wasn't going to back out of this. He nodded, placing his hand on Prompto's and squeezing.

They had this.

"We're ready. We want to face the shitstorm. That's what's important."

Ignis hummed.

"Well, being emotionally, mentally and physically ready for the 'shitstorm' also helps," He added, rubbing his temples for a moment as he considered everything that had been said, and everything that will be said should anyone find out about this.

Honestly, his heart was racing - he couldn't imagine being Gladio right now.

That said, he loved all three of them, and he wasn't about to leave their side. He sighed.

"We'll have to make preparations. Whilst we're waiting for the results of the paternity test we'll have done discreetly, we'll have to inform your fathers, and the relevant people who need to know."

Noctis grimaced at the mention of his parent. Of course. He'd have to eventually.

Prompto bit back another wave of terror at the mention of telling Regis and Clarus.

They would definitely be so disappointed, and he had done so well at keeping out of their way and not causing trouble.

Would Clarus blame him? Or would they think he was trying to trap Gladio and the others by having a kid? Because that wasn't the reason he wanted to keep the baby - he didn't care that Noct was the prince or that the others had money and status. He just loved them and wanted to have a baby with them. Would they believe him?

He was still scared but it had to be done, and so he nodded at Ignis.

"We can...I mean, uh, we can like, invite them for dinner or something, tell them both at the same time. It'll be easier that way, right?" He just hoped this started to work out sooner rather than later. He wanted to be excited about this.

Gladio swore under his breath at the thought of having this conversation with his dad. How was he even supposed to bring this up?

_Hi did, how's things? By the way, I potentially knocked up Prompto and Noctis, nice seeing you!_

He wasn't even sure why Iggy wanted to bother with the paternity test, but that seemed the least of his problems so he didn't even bother arguing it. "We'll need to think about how we're gonna go about this. Either Noct comes out publicly or we have a secret kid forever. And Luna needs to have some say, right?" Thinking about this was making his head hurt.

Noctis nodded. 

"After we have this meeting, I'll invite her here," He said, simply, tone broaching no argument.

This was going to be a political and personal nightmare to figure out.

 

\-------

 

It was an understatement to say that Ignis was frightened. Uncertain. At a loss, really, with a future he couldn't quite discern yet; with a present that they had to untangle. He was also mildly afraid of what Regis and Clarus would say - that he would have to face his ire or disappointment that Ignis had let this happen when he'd had such a high duty to protect and guide Noctis.

He sat with his hands folded on his lap at the long dinner table in their house. After all, they knew there would be no wandering eyes or wondering ears in their own home, and this had to be a very silent affair. It was better to make it seem nothing more than one of Regis' visits.

Noctis had pushed the date that they would do this back further and further, right up until he'd gotten into a fight with Gladio about postponing something so important.

Now he was sat opposite his dad, whom he would rather somehow never tell, about to drop some incredibly explosive news. He couldn't help but squirm in his seat. He tried to straighten his back, movements stiff. He didn't want to speak first. They'd just finished eating and now he felt like he could throw that up.

At least this dinner was in the evening.

"Dad," He started.

"Yes, Noctis?" Came Regis' softer reply, looking to his son with a small quirk of his eyebrow, and with a moderately neutral expression on his face.

Of course, he knew he was about to be given some important information, given the tense band of electricity between the four of them. If he had to guess, he'd assumed it was something about their relationship with each other and with Noctis' impending marriage to Lunafreya. That said, he had also noted that the four of them also smelt different, but he placed that away.

His mouth worked for a moment, choosing his words delicately. "I'm pregnant."

Very delicately.

"Noct-," Ignis started, only to be interrupted very quickly by Regis raising his hand.

Regis' brow furrowed, pressing his lips into a thin line as he considered Noctis' words. "Noctis, this is incredibly important news, if you're being completely genuine. Please, do not toy with an old man's heart."

"I'm genuine," He averted his eyes away, suddenly considering the patterns on the table cloth. "Prompto is too,"

So this was it.

Gladio was sat opposite his dad and Noctis had just bitten the bullet and laid it all out for them.

He wasn't sure if his dad was going to kill him or disown him. He kind of hoped for the first one, then he'd be out of this minefield and maybe he could finally get some fucking sleep. He'd not managed a full night since Noctis and Prompto found out.

He just nodded at his dad, but found his tense silence more unsettling than being yelled at. He wanted his dad to say _something_.

"Congratulations?" He managed, offering him a weak smile.

Prompto, at this point, was terrified.

He had been dreading this night so much that he had actually been up for two days straight, although this might have been because he wasn't taking his meds anymore, ever since he found out he was pregnant.

ADHD and pregnancy was already turning out to be a fun combination. He just wanted this over with.

"Uh, yeah, we haven't known for very long but uh, we wanted to...tell you both. We, um, we...want to keep the babies as well," He only managed quick looks at Regis and Clarus before he lost his nerve again, looking to Ignis to be the helpful one.

Clarus had figured they had some bad news - Gladiolus was never this quiet for this long.

Still, he had speculated this had something to do with any upcoming treaties or a desire to firmly cement their relationship. He hadn't expected to hear that two of them were pregnant - Noctis was the _prince_ , they couldn't be seriously considering this. But if they were? Well, he sighed, feeling older than he was.

He supposed part of being a parent was supporting your children through all their decisions.

"And how are you planning to go about doing that? Have you given any thought to how the coming months will play out?" He managed to keep his tone level, waiting to see how much consideration they had given this before making any judgement. At least they seemed to understand the severity of the situation. At least Gladiolus hadn't told him via text or something equally as bad.

Gladio paused, looking between Noctis and Prompto. They had all somehow avoided this conversation- mostly because Prompto looked ready to break down every time it came up. Hormones were going to wreck him.

"Uhhh, that's where you two come in."

Noctis came in quickly to the conversation, now that it had taken off. Even if it stuttered along, it was better than the silence.

"We've been talking about it for several weeks. We've talked to Luna. She's...she's being great about it."

Ignis nodded, having given Prompto a re-assuring, gentle look, placing his hand on his beneath the table.

He could practically feel him quaking, even as he spoke so boldly. He was a little proud of him, given that he must have been exhausted with his brain by now, and exhausted in general, and yet they were having an incredibly nerve-wracking and important conversation.

He dared to look Regis in the eye as he spoke, softly but firmly.

"Lady Lunafreya is deciding up an idea that involves their marriage continuing intact, and with a child being raised as hers. Prompto and Gladio can freely raise their own child without knowledge of their relationship with us and their relation to the child of Noctis'."

Noctis pressed his lips into a thin frown as he let Ignis' words wash over him.

It was true that Lunafreya was readily and willingly putting herself in the firing range, and it was true that he'd have to continue to present as an alpha to the world, and it was true that he'd still have to be married, keep his relationship secret and keep his child secret.

"Yeah, so...that's okay, right? If Luna, uh, Lady Lunafreya says its okay and that way everyone's happy?" Prompto spoke, though he knew it was more complicated than that. He just wanted to go to bed and watch stupid videos until he maybe fell asleep.

Gladio knew Noct wasn't thrilled about the idea of going on with the marriage and keeping his kid a secret and Gladio wasn't excited about it either - he'd have to spend their entire life acting like he wasn't their dad. He couldn't _be_ their dad. It sat uncomfortably with him and he frowned, but nodded along.

"Its our best course of action, considering everyone's decisions."

Noctis ran a hand through his hair, starting to speak again.

"I want to-....dad?" He stopped shortly after starting, startled suddenly by the appearance of a tear falling from Regis' cheek, disappearing into his beard.

Regis had remained mostly composed, but a small smile broke the neutral expression, and he took a finger to his cheek and wiped away the remains of the water that had been there. "I apologise. I'm somewhat overwhelmed."

Prompto squeezed Ignis' hand, now panicking at Regis' reaction.

Was it illegal to make the king cry? Was it a bad reaction or a good one? Did Regis cry a lot when no one was looking? Would they be mad if _he_ cried? He kind of wanted to cry. A lot was happening and this conversation was awful and he was so tired and he had to look nice so he wasn't even wearing something comfortable like his pyjamas.

Clarus sighed at Regis, looking over to him with an eyebrow raised. He had something planned - Clarus knew him well enough to know when he was up to something.

He gave Gladiolus a cursory nod, glad that they had somewhat thought this through and had even included Lady Lunafreya in the discussions. He knew his son well enough to know this wasn't the way he had wanted starting a family to go, but at least...well, at least he could keep one of the children. He did not envy Gladiolus' situation. 

Still.

"Whatever you're thinking, Regis, you'd best not keep them in suspense any longer," He managed a small amount of humour in his voice, despite everything.

 Regis gave his shield and overall, greatest friend, a short look, eyes shining as his smile widened.

"I'm overwhelmed at the idea of having grandchildren. Two grandchildren that I am alive to see." He settled with saying. 

At this point, Noctis didn't know what to say, instead choosing to remain silent, lips pressed together.

His dad wasn't punishing him. His dad wasn't berating him on allowing this to happen.

Ignis, too, found himself mute on the subject, unable to really piece together a sentence, having not entirely expected that response.

Prompto momentarily lost his nerves, staring at Noctis in shock.

"You're having twins? How can you tell this early?" 

Gladio managed a snort at Prompto, laughing at how oblivious he could be sometimes.

But he had done some good - the mood had somewhat lifted now that he had blurted that out. He was shocked that Regis wasn't being more serious about it, but he supposed that yeah, they were going to have grandchildren. If you ignored the political side of everything, it was nice.

Clarus smiled and huffed slightly at Regis. Even Clarus had to admit, the idea of having grandchildren - even if he could only ever hold claim to one - meant a lot. He wished that they were having this conversation under different circumstances. Even still, he could allow Regis his moment before they returned to anything serious.

"You may need to explain yourself, old friend."

A glimmer of good humour appeared in Regis' expression for a moment, mirth evident at Prompto's mistake.

"Of course," He said, smiling warmly, looking to Prompto with absolute fondness. "I meant your child as well, Prompto."

"We've set out to have a paternity test done. We will get the results of it tomorrow," Ignis punctuated the conversation with the small mention of the paternity test, to show that the two could have good faith in them to do what needed to be done.

He nodded towards Clarus. "We have...an awareness of what might be the result, so we're well prepared."

"...oh," Prompto finally managed, voice cracking slightly.

He couldn't help it - he'd been left by his birth parents and abandoned by his adoptive ones. The idea that his kid not only had the guys to look after them as well, but that Regis saw them as his grandchild (and by extension, Prompto as family) made him well up very quickly. He looked away, trying to blink the tears back before he started crying too.

"That's cool. Yeah."

Gladio, meanwhile, sighed at the mention of the paternity test.

He got it - he'd majorly fucked up. He knew what it'd say tomorrow and then he'd just have written proof that he'd completely screwed over his duty. He chanced a look back at his dad, face falling somewhat in discomfort.

"Yeah, we're pretty sure we know what it'll say, but its better to be sure."

Clarus had to admit, he was impressed by the level of thought that had gone into all this. He had hardly expected that they had gone this far into it.

Whatever conversation he needed to have with Gladiolus felt like it should be more private, between father and son. At least he was taking steps to try and fix the situation as best he could. Clarus was disappointed that this had happened at all when they hadn't planned for it, but proud of the way Gladiolus was handling it.

"And what then? We will need to consider Noctis' public image, as well as Lady Lunafreya's. There will come a point where Noctis will no longer be able to appear in public, and people will be suspicious should Lady Lunafreya remain in Tenebrae or not show any signs of pregnancy at all."

"She can come here," Noct interjected before anyone could speak.

When they looked to him, he merely shrugged, as if the decision were effortless. "We have a big enough house. It can fit her and her bodyguard. Even Ravus if he doesn't stay in Tenebrae."

Ignis cleared his throat, looking down. Noctis wasn't going to like to hear this.

"We have to consider the possibility that Lady Lunafreya would also have to be pregnant, and soon. As uncomfortable a topic as that is, it is unavoidable that she'd either have to fake pregnancy well enough to not be caught, or to be pregnant herself,"

He was right, as he soon heard Noctis huff.

"I'm not going to force her to get pregnant," Noctis frowned, deeply.

"Lady Lunafreya is well aware of what she would do for you, Noct," Ignis said, quietly, looking up to meet Regis' gaze.

Regis nodded in understanding, mostly watching Clarus continue, confident in his ability to lead in this circumstance. "It will not be easy."

Prompto froze when they talked about Luna.

He hadn’t even considered that she might need to do this...with who? Nyx? What if she didn’t want a baby?

Would Nyx be okay with everything?

It didn’t seem fair. It wasn’t fair that they had to go through all this while Prompto kind of got away with it.

“Has anyone asked her? I feel like Lady Lunafreya should have a say in this too,” He felt weirdly defensive for her, but he just didn’t like that they talked about her like this without her being there.

Gladio knew it was the best option if they planned on keeping this quiet, but it still didn’t seem right - but what other choice did they have? If they risked faking it and someone found out, then an actual baby showed up, there’d be questions that they wouldn’t be able to answer. Not without outing Noct.

“We’ll have a proper talk with her about how we should go about this. Obviously we’ll consult her before anything happens.”

Clarus knew it wasn’t ideal for anyone, but nothing about this was. It was the way things had to bend around them if Noctis truly wanted to keep this baby. There didn’t seem any other way.

“Yes, she will have a say in this, but this is the most ideal way to ensure no light is shed on the true nature of this situation.” He sighed. “I know it isn’t what any of you want, but to fake it would be taking a risk we cannot afford.”

Noctis' chair made a sot creak as he stood up, a hand on the back of the chair, the only thing anchoring him from leaving. "We'll talk to Luna tomorrow. We're prepared, it's fine. We'll do what we can do, not what we have to do. If we have the option to not take the hard way, we'll take it."

Ignis opened his mouth to say the dark haired male's name, wanting to offer as much comfort to him as he was to Prompto.

Unfortunately, it was still Noct's prerogative to duck out for a while when things got too difficult to handle.

He, however, said nothing, simply opting to stay in his seat and look uncomfortable.

"Of course, Noctis." Regis sighed, softly, a kind of withheld sadness in his eyes as he watched Noct go to leave the room. The burden of the crown weighed heavily on his son.

Gladio made to stand with Noctis, but wasn’t sure if he meant to pull him back or follow him out. It felt weird to leave things with his dad half-discussed, so he ended up sitting back down.

“We don’t need to figure it out right this second, do we? We have some time before this becomes a problem, don’t we?” He felt unsure again, like they’d made way less progress than he thought they had.

Prompto started fidgeting once more, feeling lost when Noctis started to leave.

He still had Ignis next to him but he suddenly felt very exposed - without Noctis’ public appearance to talk about, it would inevitably turn to him. Clarus wasn’t going to ignore the fact that he was having Gladio’s child forever.

He looked to Ignis, eyes uncertain and wary.

Clarus sighed as the prince left, glad that they had at least made it this far.

At least they had something to base themselves on. He had half expected to be the one to make all the plans. Even so, there was still so much to do.

“I know you all understand the severity of this situation. We should inform the marshal, and ensure this is treated as a matter of national security. No one outside our trusted circle can know.” He concluded with. 

And just like that, the plaster had been ripped off. 

In Noctis' absence, however, an awkward quiet lingered between them.

It remained in the wake of Regis and Clarus eventually leaving, and it stuck with them long after. 

Gladiolus found himself sighing, once he'd closed the door behind them, placing his head in his hands and taking that moment to really breathe. 

Gods help them. 

 

\---

 

Noctis had gone to bed early that night.

Not that he usually didn't, but the previous night's conversation just left his mouth dry and his head foggy with exhaustion.

His dad had surprised him, of course, but then in many ways, he hadn't. He knew that Regis Lucis Caelum was secretly renowned amongst his inner circle for his dry humour and warmer smiles, but Noct always felt a hint of guilt that he hadn't been regarded coldly for the idiot he was being.

That being said, it wasn't something that, even if it made him an idiot for doing it, he was going to go back on. That was final.

Luna was arriving that evening from Tenebrae and had planned her quick journey over almost as soon as Noct had told her.

Now they just had the paternity test to get out of the way, and ugh, he knew what that was going to say. Like he needed to hurt Gladio more by forcing him into an early fatherhood and then getting a test just to confirm it.

With this on his mind, he dragged himself out of bed and, still in his pyjamas, and headed downstairs.

Ignis had been up a whole two hours before he heard movement from upstairs. He was calm. He needed this time to really recollect himself, even if Prompto and Gladio had gotten up earlier than Noct. He needed them all together before he opened the brown envelope, marked 'important'.

He thumbed it idly, sat at the kitchen table. He wondered how Gladio would feel about hearing what it had to say.

Prompto had uncharacteristically stayed in bed all morning, forgoing his usual morning run. The test was due in today and Luna was going to be arriving and that meant talking to her about his stupid mistake and failure to keep Noct safe as a friend.

And what would today do to Gladio? He was probably already taking this hard as it was. Seeing it in paper would just make him worse. Luna would come there to an awful atmosphere.

But he heard Noctis get up so he had to force himself up, refusing to out-sleep the prince of sleepiness himself. 

Gladio, however, had been keeping himself busy all morning. Since about 5am actually.

He’d run to the gym, trained, ran back, had a shower, cleaned his room, put a wash on and watched the first episode of a new series.

Anything he could to avoid Ignis and the letter he sat with. Anything to ignore what he already knew. He just happened to be downstairs when the others came down, in the middle of hanging that washing up.

Shit, time to face the music.

As Noctis reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard Prompto move and waited for him, brushing his fingers against his wrist as they headed for the kitchen.

Of course, hoping that the letter hadn't come yet was too much to ask, as Ignis sat there with it, quite clearly waiting for them.

He heaved a sigh, leaving Prompto and Ignis in the kitchen as he headed towards where he knew Gladio would be, likely doing something to occupy himself.

Naturally, there he was, hanging up washing, and Noct leant against the door frame, arms folded.

"You coming?"

Ignis watched Noct go, hoping that he was merely fetching Gladio and not choosing to disappear on them again. He could never tell.

He looked up at Prompto from where he sat at the table, trying to offer him a re-assuring smile.

"Whatever this says, it'll be okay, Prompto," He stated, matter of fact, though there was likely only one way this was going to go. He supposed that the fact that they were all prepared helped; even if it was confirmation of something they already knew, it didn't take them by surprise and ruin them.

Prompto nodded at Ignis but he found himself still nervous. He wasn’t sure why - he knew what that envelope would say and what it meant to them. But still, somehow it would just be something else that made the whole situation seem more real.

He was scared for how Gladio would react - what if it turned out he didn’t want anything to do with the kids? He's already said that there was no chance he'd  bail on them, but what if it was too much to confirm that he was the sole conceiver of both the babies? What happened then? And would Ignis feel left out? He was nervous for them.

“Yeah, just...wanna get this over with, you know?”

Ignis hummed low, thoughtfully, taking in Prompto's expression.

He nodded, thumb still running along the sealed part of the envelope. "As soon as Gladio and Noct return, we'll open it. It'll likely say what we already know, and I do understand wanting to 'get it over with'." He sighed. "Whatever it says, know that we'll still be here for you and the children. That won't change."

Prompto nodded, feeling guilty for Gladio. He knew it would have been easier if he had just agreed to get rid of it - if both he and Noctis had decided, but he couldn't bring himself to make that call; it had only been a few days and he was already getting attached to these kids.

He was still scared shitless, but he knew he wanted this.

Having Ignis' reassurance helped some of the tension leave his body and he managed a more genuine, if tired, smile at him.

"Thanks, Iggy. That...it just means a lot." He hadn't doubted that Ignis would be there, but Prompto's brain had a nasty habit of taking the worst outcome and running with it until he was convinced it was going to happen. Hearing that he wasn't going to be forced to get rid of his child or be left to raise it entirely alone - even thought he knew the guys would never do that to him - helped stop that a little. 

In a nearby room, Gladio had been so trapped in his own thoughts that it took him a couple of seconds to register that Noctis was there and that he had spoken.

Time to face the music then.

He took in a deep breath and let it out as he turned to Noctis.

“Yeah, guess so. Let’s go.” He gestured for Noctis to lead the way back, walking like a man going to his execution.

Noctis paused after turning, letting Gladio walk into him a little. As he stopped, he gave his next actions some thought.

It was often said that Noctis found physical contact and the necessary cues difficult, and with Gladio, even harder. He wasn't a romantic like him. He wasn't as forthcoming with his affection for the larger male as he was with Ignis, with whom a simple touch would suffice, and with Prompto, with whom touching came easily.

His fingers found Gladio's wrist and wrapped around them, sliding down to his fingers where he brushed against them with his own, uncertainty in his touch.

"I'm sorry." He said, quietly.

Gladio almost instantly linked his fingers with Noct's, giving a small, reassuring squeeze.

He already knew how this was going to go down, but Noctis had enough to worry about without Gladio's own hangups about this hovering over him as well. Stress was bad for babies, or something. He was sure he had heard that somewhere.

But he appreciated the effort Noct had made, small as the gesture might seem to others.

"Don't be. Whatever happens, we're all in," With that he walked properly into the room, taking Noctis with him and standing just before the table. "Alright, Iggy. Let's do this."

Prompto turned when he heard something from the doorway, seeing Noct and Gladio standing there.

Ignis nodded, expression losing some of its previous tenseness at seeing the linked fingers between Noctis and Gladio.

He turned back to the envelope, opening it slowly. Not slow enough that it caused unwarranted tension, but slow enough that he wasn't rushing to find out. As he said, they likely knew what it'd say.

He scanned over a few of the important parts that came as a pre-cursor. The medical information, then the statement that the test had been run several times. That seemed like an odd medical practice, but he supposed that they had to be certain, especially where national security was concerned.

Then he got to the results.

To say that Ignis became pale was an understatement. Shock often did that to people.

He turned the paper over and read the rest, before re-reading the part where the results lay once more. His hand lowered, mouth working to say something.

Noctis raised an eyebrow, more than confused by Ignis' silence and overall reaction. "Specs?" He questioned. "You okay?"

Ignis' brow furrowed, holding on to the paper very tightly. He pushed his glasses up his nose, looking down at the paper again.

"But, statistically....I don't quite understand..." He trailed off.

Prompto tried to read over Ignis' shoulder, but couldn't see whatever it was that made his face go that pale. He was getting worried - was something wrong with the babies? Or did the tests say something weird?

He was confused and Ignis was starting to really worry him.

"Statistically what, Iggy? What did it say? Is everything okay?" He knew he probably shouldn't bombard him with questions but he was just concerned about the kids and how something could have possibly gone wrong this early on. He had barely had a chance to get attached to them, something bad can't happen. He wanted this to all be okay, he didn't want to think that maybe one of them was in trouble. He wasn't sure he could handle something like that. "Is something wrong with the babies?"

Gladio frowned at Ignis, knowing it had to be something big to make him react like that. Ignis could bounce back from most things in a matter of seconds - it took something pretty big to stump him like this.

He let go of Noct's hand to hold the paper, gently tugging on it to get Ignis to let go.

He needed to see what it said, especially since Prompto was already starting to freak out and it was only a matter of time before Noctis did as well.

"Iggy, let me see what it says," He said, voice gentle but firm.

Ignis relinquished his grip on the letter, allowing Gladio to read it. His hands stayed like that for a moment, before he cleared his throat and placed them on his lap, still looking incredibly puzzled.

"I don't understand how I could be the father, I'm...I'm a beta," He said, though he looked forward at nothing. "Stastically, it can't-....I'm a beta," He repeated.

"Wait," Noctis began, moving to look at the letter now left in Gladio's possession. He nearly grabbed it off him. "Of both of them? Who's-...?"

Prompto was confused to say the least.

How could Ignis be...was _he_ the dad to his baby? What about Gladio? How did they have an alpha in their group and still have Ignis come out as the father?

"But...Gladio...are you sure?"

At least the babies were okay, but this threw him. They had all been so sure of what that letter would say. Was Ignis going to be okay? They had never even considered that Ignis could be the father to any of the kids. Everyone had just assumed they were both Gladio's. Not that Ignis' new situatoin was a bad thing - he was smart and attractive and good at lots of things and Prompto loved him just as much as the rest of them.

It just shocked him, made things feel a little off kilter.

Gladio read through the letter, to be sure.

Then he read it again.

There it was, plain and simple: they had done the test several times, and Ignis was one of the dads. Huh. He wasn't really sure what to think beyond that. He had been psyching himself up for this - he was still going to be a dad, it said that too. Just...huh.

"Just yours, Noct. I'm the father of Prompto's, and Iggy is the father of...yours?" He still wasn't sure how - Ignis was right, the odds of this happening were so incredibly low that they'd never thought of it.

Huh.

Noctis frowned. That's all he could do, really.

What was there to say? His hand instinctively moved to the flat expanse of his stomach. He wasn't disappointed or upset that Ignis was the father, it was just unexpected. What were the odds?

He moved over to Prompto and Ignis, hand hovering over Ignis' shoulder, before withdrawing. He chewed his lower lip. "Specs?"

"Mmm?" Ignis responded, though he didn't look up from staring straight ahead.

It was hard to place his thoughts. He wasn't disillusioned with the fact that being a father was an incredible responsibility, and Ignis had his fair share of responsibility through his life.

It was a lot of things and unpacking his thoughts was taking time that he didn't have.

Noct was royalty, that he'd sworn to guide. He couldn't quite place his thumb on how to feel.

He finally stood, hand placed on the back of his chair, looking to Gladio. "This doesn't change anything, really. It's best we take what it says and continue."

Noct nodded, though Ignis didn't meet his gaze.

Really, Prompto shouldn't have been shocked anymore. The tests kind of said what he thought they were going to say, it was just...they had been planning all this with it in their heads that Gladio was the dad to both babies. And Ignis still looked a little shaken to say the least, so that was worrying in itself. Prompto could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen something really get to Ignis.

He stood up with him, hesitating a little before gently putting his hand on his shoulder. He really didn't know what to say to him. "Are...um, are you okay, Iggy?"

Gladio had nodded at what Ignis said, but he still looked over the paper in his hand.

He didn't know what he was looking for - maybe something they missed, or a footnote that said _nah, just kidding._

But nope, there it still was.

Ignis was going to be a father too.

Well, he kind of was anyway because they were all doing this, but he was going to have a biological kid.

Gladio knew a thing or two about how that one felt. He also knew there was no way of stopping Ignis' inevitable freak out because he hadn't been able to stop his own. He put the paper back down on the table in case the others wanted to look it over before looking at Ignis, still kind of lost for words.

"Uh, congratulations?"

Ignis frowned.

"I'm perfectly fine." He stated simply, shaking his head. "I have to cook and clean. Please excuse me, gentlemen." He continued, before leaving the room to head to the bathroom. Soon, Lunafreya would be here and they'd have to go through this again. He needed to properly process it before he did that.

Noctis frowned, not used to someone else walking out when things got tough. It was always him.

He turned to Prompto, before looking down at his feet, exhaling.

"This is going great so far."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOYYYY WE'RE SLOWLY GETTING THERE 
> 
> Thank you for reading so far, it honestly means a lot to me! If I'm honest, 14 year old me would be so freaked out about me writing mpreg yet ten years later, here I am LOL. Sorry teenage me. 
> 
> Again, things will start to pick up now! Look forward to Umbra and Pryna in the next chapter, as well as a visit from Luna and Nyx! 
> 
> AYYYY


	3. Our Future Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon Lunafreya and Nyx's arrival, more attempts are made at locking down what they have to do. Though a conclusion is reached, not everyone is happy about it.

When Luna arrived, it was in full force, armed with both her dogs and with Nyx in tow.

He looked guarded, and Noctis assumed that that was partially down to Luna having told him their situation. He likely assumed, or knew, what this meant for them, and Noctis had no idea how he felt about that. He had a clue of how Ravus was going to react, though.

He'd only just started to get along with him, and this was going to throw that completely down the drain.

He crouched low in the living room of their massive house and smiled a soft, gentle smile at Umbra as he pressed his nose to Noct's face. At least Umbra didn't care.

He ruffled the dog behind the ears, watching as Pryna went straight to Prompto. She obviously missed him.

"Hey, boy," He shifted to sit cross legged on the floor, lowering his eyelashes, allowing the dog to lick his face. "'Missed you too,"

Luna watched with a quiet, unassuming smile as Noctis made himself comfortable with Umbra, and took the seat on the pristine sofa that Ignis offered up to her. Her hands were folded on her lap.

"It's good to see you all," She spoke, gently, without an ounce of lie in her voice.

Prompto had been worried about Luna coming and having to be dragged into their awful decisions, but seeing her settle herself in like she’d always been there put him somewhat at ease. Luna had that kind of effect on people.

He crouched down to fuss Pryna, always happy to see her.

“Hey, girl, look at you! You’re so big! Yes you are! You’re the biggest and fluffiest dog!” He scratched behind her ears as he spoke, anxiety momentarily forgotten.

Gladio wasn’t so easily distracted from what was going on, and what they might potentially be asking Luna to do.

He gave Nyx a nod as he walked in, not offering an explanation yet. He assumed Luna had already told him.

“Yeah, you guys too,” He managed in response, still sounding vaguely distracted. Remembering the dinner they had earlier, he suddenly felt bad. Like they had talked about Luna behind her back, which they kind of had.

Ignis took a seat on one of the free armchairs, holding a mug of tea in his hands, though it was obvious from the way he sipped at its too hot contents in small bursts and looked somewhat tense that he was looking forward to this conversation as much as everyone else.

Luna observed Ignis carefully.

Obviously, Noct had texted her the results of the paternity test before they got here. Both Gladiolus and Ignis were tense.

This couldn't have been an easy choice for any of them, least of all Noctis and Prompto, who actually had to carry the children to term.

She frowned a little at the thought.

"Noctis," She began, offering him yet another smile, though this one wasn't nearly as unassuming as the previous one. "You have something to ask of me. Let's get to it." She stated simply, though there was no annoyance or malice.

Really, ripping the plaster off was the best way to do this, otherwise they'd dance around it all night and she knew that Noctis hated that. Really, she wanted what was best for her childhood friend.

Noctis nodded, looking up from Umbra, who sat diligently as if he knew that if he waited out the conversation to come, he could have more of a fuss afterwards.

Noct appreciated Luna's forwardness - he was well aware that she was only trying to help.

"I'm," He started, gesturing to his stomach. "Y'know."

"Knocked up, yes," The edges of her lips twitched, though she tried to remain as serious as possible.

He shifted, almost uncomfortably.

"We're still going through with the royal wedding." He said, though he said it flatly, with as little opinion in his tone as possible. Which in itself, was an indicator of his unhappiness at the whole state of their political climate. "We need the treaty with the empire, and Lucis as a whole still wants us to be wed, so," He shrugged gracelessly. "I guess that's it. The only problem is hiding what's going to happen to me, and the fact that a child is gonna come out of no-where."

Now, Ignis was definitely uncomfortable and he wasn't quite sure if it were his place to speak up here, but he spoke regardless.

"What Noct is asking for is not only your complete indiscretion, but your...help, in keeping his secret, and in aiding the illusion that you are both to have a child together," For a small second, there was an edge of pain tingeing Ignis' voice, but he quickly kept it down.

"Then, to my understanding, the best route is that I also produce a child and claim that we had twins. Yes?" Luna raised an eyebrow, before nodding. "I feel that that's our least frightening route in terms of being discovered. How do the rest of you feel about this?"

Prompto looked up from fussing Pryna, only able to look at Luna for a moment before he looked to the floor again. She sounded so understanding, like this was such a reasonable thing to ask from her.

“Is there any other way? I mean...that’s not fair to you guys...it isn’t your fault,” He mumbled, fidgeting with his wristband. Shit, he never even thought about the fact his kid has half his genes - would he have to tell them where he came from?

Gladiolus also frowned, looking over to Nyx as well. He knew he was unlikely to be okay with this and it showed on his face, but Luna was right. It was the safest way to do this.

“There could be another way, but you’re right, that is the best route.” He wasn’t happy about it either, but he knew what would happen if they were found out. “We...we’ve talked about it. It’s gone about that far.”

Nyx, meanwhile, was quiet. His face instantly fell at the mention of Luna having a baby. How was he supposed to just have this kid and never be able to look after it? Shit, he wasn’t cut out for this.

“Lunafreya, wait. Have you thought this out? This isn’t just getting another dog, this is being pregnant and having a baby,” His frown deepened as he wondered how she was so okay with this.

Before Noct could speak up - and it was best that he didn't, as his whole idea surrounded the notion that they just say fuck you to the lineage of absolute lies, leaving everyone to do what they want with their families- Luna jumped in firmly.

"I am well aware of the burden and duty placed both upon myself and Noctis. I am also aware of what I'd do to keep the peace for Lucis," She said simply, aware of what Nyx meant, and aware of the added burden of not only pregnancy but of everything else they'd have to go through.

"Nyx," Her voice softened as she glanced up to him, placing her fingers over his. "This has your full consent, or it does not happen, and we find some other way."

Noctis' expression hardened a little, lips pursed, ignoring the way Umbra tried to kiss at his features. "Or we could just tell everyone the truth."

Prompto stood up, leaving Pryna whining for his lost attention.

He hadn’t even known Noct was thinking of that, and Luna was right - for all the thought about her, no one had given much thought to what Nyx would have to do as well. He would have to father a child only to give it up. He wanted to believe it was as simple as Noct made it sound, but...

“What about...everything? Can you even just go and tell people something like that?”

“No.” Gladio stated, tone resolute despite the fleeting thought he had.

He imagined the four of them being able to raise these kids in peace, for Lunafreya and Nyx to have children in their own time if they even wanted that.

But it wasn’t worth entertaining - they couldn’t do that.

“We can’t do that, it’ll be too risky. We have a plan, we need to stick to it.”

Gladio made sense, but still Prompto wondered. “I mean, what would even happen? If Noct did that?”

Nyx shook his head, trying to take all this in. Having a kid, then not having a kid, Noctis wanting to come clean - it was a lot. They didn’t train you for this in the Kingsglaive.

“It would be a matter of national security. The stakes would be extraordinarily high for everyone involved.” He turned to Luna, tone losing any edge it'd previously had. This wasn’t how he wanted this to go, if it happened at all. But before everything, he had a duty to the crown. He had made that sacrifice when he became a member of the Kingsglaive.

“I’ll do whatever I have to for the crown. If this is my duty, then I’ll accept it.”

At Gladio's immediate response towards the negative, Noct found himself defensive over his idea, the imaginary scenario of them being able to raise their kids together, be together, with Nyx allowed to keep a child to himself if and when he was ready.

It shouldn't have to sound too good to be true. It _should_ be true.

His fingers curled against his palms and he couldn't help scowling.

"It shouldn't have to be Nyx's duty to have a kid so that I can have mine. That's not fair," He narrowed his eyes, and God, he loved Gladio, but he couldn't help but glare at him under these circumstances. "It's ok for you, you can have a kid and pretend mine only exists under some weird pretences,"

Ignis stood, going to carefully place his hand on top of Noct's shoulder, aiming to calm the situation before it escalated. "Gladio is right. You don't understand the full, national and public ramifications of what might happen should the truth get out."

"It'll be a little bit of a riot and then everyone will forget and move on!" Noct growled, shrugging off Ignis' hand, folding his arms across his chest.

"Noctis, whatever the plan, we must be completely certain. I will go where you lead," Luna paused, fingers lacing with Nyx's rougher and larger ones, looking up to him through long blonde lashes. "Nyx Ulric, you have my heart and soul and I will also take on board what you really want to do too."

Prompto found himself nodding along to Noctis, but he winced when he went for Gladio. He knew Noctis was just getting riled up and lashing out, but still...he was a part of that. He and Gladio could keep their kid - it wouldn't be too frowned upon. It was Noct and Ignis and Luna and Nyx who had to make the real sacrifice here.

Most importantly, he didn't want anyone to fight; this situation was tense enough without people going for each other.

"Guys, please, we don't have to make this any harder,"

Gladio, despite Prompto's urging, immediately went on the defensive, only briefly registering the small voice in his head telling them not to fight. He had thought Noctis was starting to mature, but apparently that wasn't the case.

"You think I want to hide any of this?  You think this is an ideal situation for _anyone_ here? No, but that's the way shit is so we're trying to make the best of it, maybe you can join in on that when you feel like being an adult."

Prompto looked slightly desperately to Ignis, who was still trying to be the voice of reason here. This political stuff wasn't his place anyway. "Guys, stop!"

This was quickly getting out of hand, but Noctis and Gladio's relationship wasn't Nyx's place to step in. He was just a guard.

He held onto the hand linked with his own, looking down at Luna. Gladio was right - this wasn't great for anyone. But coming out about it? It would be a political nightmare and the Empire would be on it in a heartbeat. They needed this peace.

"You know this isn't how I wanted this to go, but I'll follow you through this to the end, whatever that is.” He said aside to her, quietly. 

Noctis, at this point, grit his teeth, bristling almost visibly at Gladio's comment, squaring up to him as he did.

"It doesn't have to be like this, is what I'm trying to say! Why _can't_ we change things? Shouldn't we set precedent? Why is it always _my_ life that has to be sacrificed for everyone else!"

Ignis paused, hand hovering on Noct's shoulder again, before it lowered.

He'd done this to him.

He tried to swallow his guilt, bringing up some kind of reasoning to get them both to stop. He caught Promptos wrist, aware that he was distressed, and squeezed it reassuringly, before stepping between Gladio and Noctis.

"Enough. Bickering isn't going to get us anywhere."

Luna's expression softened, moving her gaze from Nyx to watch them squabble, feeling Noct's pain immensely. Not just Noct's, but all of them.

She stood, joining Ignis, settling Umbra, who had begun to bark at the sudden upset surrounding him, by pressing her fingers to his muzzle, rubbing gently.

"Please," She began. "We should start as we mean to go on - with peace and understanding. If this is something you truly want to do, then we really do have to make the best of it. Noctis," She turned to her childhood friend. "I know what I must do. End of discussion."

Noctis opened and closed his mouth, before shaking his head. "Fine."

Prompto sighed, using his free hand to fiddle with the hand Ignis had around his wrist.

He still wasn’t happy about the situation, but at least Gladio and Noctis had stopped fighting. He wished it was as easy as Noct made it sound. He wanted it to be that easy. And he had a point - couldn’t they be the ones to change things?

“What...what would actually happen? You keep going on about security and stuff but like...what could anyone actually do?”

Gladio sighed. Great, now Prompto was getting ideas. This was going nowhere fast and it was looking like Lunafreya and Nyx had come just to watch them argue.

“There would be riots. Trust in the monarchy would go down. We could lose members of the council. We’re talking about the whole damn infrastructure we’ve got here,” He hoped maybe if he spelled it out, they would know what the ramifications would be.

Nyx nodded along with Gladio.

“The Kingsglaive would stand with you regardless, but you may lose some of the Crownsguard. We’re coming along but there’s still enough prejudice to make this a big deal.” He didn’t want this to go the way it was going to either, but they were between a rock and a hard place - none of the outcomes were good for them.

Noctis had long since crossed his arms defensively around himself, staring intensely at Gladio and Nyx, as if assessing whether or not to snap back about this.

Really, he saw some of the sense in what they said, but a part of him didn't want to actually listen to it. It didn't seem fair, and people had to stop expecting Noctis to just live with what wasn't fair constantly, especially where the future of his child - children - was concerned.

"Isn't it better to weed out the people with prejudice anyway?"

"Noct, if only it were that simple," Ignis began with a sigh, reassured to speak by Prompto's touch, ignoring that aforementioned guilt as he did.

He knew that partly, Gladio was expecting him to help keep everyone calm. If left to their own devices, Noctis would likely even snap at Nyx, if he didn't tear Gladio's head off first. They really did butt heads, but Ignis supposed (or knew, rather) that it was mostly down to their care for each other, and their inability in part to communicate that.

"Lucis cannot be weakened at this point in time by losing the sway of the crowd. You know better than anyone how quickly Niflheim will attack, how fragile this peace is."

Noct growled again. "So the opinion of a bunch of niffs is more important than a future we can make for our children? Shouldn't they be more important than anyone else?"

Ignis frowned. "More important than the children of other's?"

Noctis' mouth opened and closed once again, before he averted his eyes, arms tightening around himself.

"This isn't fair."

Luna had placed her hand on his arm, and he weakened a little in his resolve, looking to her sympathetic expression. He exhaled, and she smiled a little.

"It feels like the decision is never ours." He continued.

Prompto, however, had shrank back slightly at the mention of Niflheim, retracting his hands a little.

He hadn't even thought about what this could mean for his child - a part of them would be from Niflheim as well. What if they had managed to do something to him when he was little that could affect his baby?

He chewed his bottom lip between his teeth, having all these worries that he couldn't voice to the others.

_'A bunch of niffs,'_

That included him.

He had sworn to take this secret to the grave, but was it fair to not tell his kid when it affected them too? What if anyone found out?

"But...but...Noct's right, this isn't fair. Why can't it be fair? What does it matter to them anyway?"

Gladio wasn't sure why Prompto suddenly seemed so upset - maybe mentioning the war had made him realise what the implications of Noct's idea were.

In any sense, he was getting riled up again and Noctis was continuing to be stubborn. They were making no progress on something they needed to have locked down as soon as possible.

"Iggy's right, we can't take any risks that the niffs might take advantage of. Do you want the kids to still have to deal with this war shit when they grow up?"

Prompto wasn't sure how he felt at this point. He was angry for Noctis and Luna and Nyx and Ignis. He was scared of the uncertainty in their future. He was conflicted about his own heritage and how to handle it with a child, and upset at the reminder that the others would never accept it. On top of it all, he was so tired. It finally culminated as a mixture of tears and shouting.

"Why do we always have to do what they want? They don't make the rules here! The king does! Why do they get to control what happens here too? And what if they're lying? What if Noct and Luna get married and they fight us anyway! Then it was all for nothing!"

Nyx was somewhat taken aback, having never seen Prompto this riled up before.

He supposed everyone's tensions were running high. Still, to some degree he understood what Prompto was saying - Niflheim hadn't exactly shown themselves to be the most trustworthy nation, and Nyx especially trusted that Chancellor about as far as he could throw him.

"We can't risk that they're not lying," He said softly, looking over to Luna again. This was...fucked up, really.

"Yeah, who cares what Niflheim do?" Noctis was riling himself up again. A lot of it was down to the protectiveness over seeing Prompto cry - he hated that. It made his chest do weird things, and as often and as freely as Prompto cried, it never got easier, even if it was just over a video of a baby lion being abandoned. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Very quietly, Luna moved her hand to Noctis' back, placing her palm there very lightly.

"Noctis, you of all people know what it's like to be a child with their life affected by Niflheim," She said, softly, moving her hand to place it on her own chest as she spoke earnestly to him, glancing back at Nyx. "As do I. You don't want that for your children, and I don't want it for mine. For now, this is all we can do. If you feel happier with us playing it by ear, so to speak, then we will, but we need calm and reasoning to get through this."

"Enough bickering," Ignis agreed, throwing Gladio a gentle but stern look, effectively trying to communicate that it was best to back down.

His hand moved from Prompto's wrist to rub a small circle in his back, his other hand pressing to his shoulder, trying honestly to soothe. He wasn't quite sure what had set Prompto off this badly, but he knew that it was more than budding pregnancy hormones and Noctis' defence. He, however, also knew that it was the wrong time to bring it up.

"Prompto, this will get easier," Ignis offered up.

"Does it, specs?" Noctis snapped a little, even as he was starting to calm down, now boiling down to simple bitterness at their situation. "You're ready to not be a dad to your own kid? That's okay with you?"

Now, Ignis was slightly taken aback, expression easily going between startled and upset in a matter of seconds.

He quickly steeled it behind a mask of neutrality, voice low.

"Yes, Noctis. I will do what I have to for the crown."

Before Noctis could snap again, she shook her head at him. "Noctis, hurting the ones you love will not make you feel better. Please, no more fighting."

"I said fine." He said in response, unfolding his arms from his chest, letting them hang by his side awkwardly as he tried to wrestle with how he felt. Finally, he looked back at Prompto, expression softening. "You okay?"

Gladio had held his hands up, letting Ignis know he got the message.

There was no point arguing this with them, not while Noctis and Prompto were both riling themselves up. All they were doing was getting upset with no actual progress to show for it.

"If we want to keep them, Noct, then this is what we have to do. No one said they're happy about it, but everyone else is ready to do what they have to," He should probably have kept his mouth shut, but it seemed like Noctis was the one not stepping up and sure, Prompto's sudden leap to his defence wasn't helping that, but this was far from the last time Noctis would have to give up his own wants for the sake of the country.

Prompto was struggling.

No, he wasn't okay. Ignis didn't want this and no one wanted this so why did some old fuck in Niflheim get this power over them?

They weren't supposed to have power over Prompto anymore. He was taken here exactly so that wouldn't happen but here he was, still letting the Empire call the shots.

"No, if no one wants this then why do we have to? It isn't fair!" He didn't know how the others did it - he was already so sick of all the politics. "Why can't they just leave everyone alone! Why can't we just...run away or something, then it won't be anyone's problem except ours and Nilfheim will just have to deal with not getting what they want for once," He was starting to sound petulant, but the idea also came from desperation. One last attempt for them all to have a normal life with no secret kids and unwanted marriages.

"I don't want this to get easier, I don't want it at all! No one does!" Prompto urged, fists balling at his sides.

Gladio exhaled. Prompto was still het up, then. And Noctis was getting back up there too, if the way he snapped at Ignis was anything to go by. He frowned deeply, done with this conversation.

"Lunafreya's right. Maybe we should, I don't know, step back for a bit. Calm down and come back to this when we can actually talk about it."

Nyx nodded at Gladio, agreeing with him. Shouting at each other wouldn't do anyone any good, and he could do with talking to Luna in private. "So we take the rest of today to calm down and think about it. We'll reconvene in the morning and go from there, with less shouting this time. We'll have to make a decision at some point."

Noctis nodded this time, scowl still set in place however. It seemed a permanent fixture on his face at this point, completely agreeing with Prompto but unwilling to keep fighting for it at this point, not when they'd be here all night and the outcome would still be the same.

He threw Luna a small look, before shaking his head and turning to leave the room. "I'll see you guys at dinner."

Ignis wanted to say something that'd help the two of them, but it felt like nothing he could say would have that effect. It was impossible to calm the two down at this point, it was easier just to let Noctis leave and calm himself down whilst focusing on making sure that Prompto was soothed.

He desperately, for their sake, wanted things to be different. He continued to rub calming circles on Prompto's back, between his shoulder blades. "We'll make it as easy as we can. That's all we can do."

Luna nodded in agreement, letting out a small sigh of her own, even as she sat back down next to Nyx and beckoned Umbra and Pryna to her side.

She fussed the tops of their heads, looking down to them as she spoke.

"It won't be a smooth road ahead of us, but we have our choices.

She paused, eyelashes lowering.

"That's all we have."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg I'm so sorry guys, I promised this would be less angsty but here we are, still riding the sad train into the sunset ft more characters!
> 
> I PROMISE THIS HAS A HAPPY ENDING and some cute moments ahead! Next up is a visit from Cor however!
> 
> anyway, again, thank you for reading! I hope you're all enjoying it so far, and I noticed a few comments which I'll get to replying to soon, I've just been busy editing this into a more readable and less rp-like format! 
> 
> WALK TALL MY FRIENDS


	4. You, Me, Us, and Everyone Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cor arrives, and though the boys are readily prepared for another lecture, that isn't at all what Cor is there for. Jokes are made, new worries are aired, and baby names are discussed. 
> 
> However, with a confession that had weighed on Cor's mind for years, Prompto begins to wish the Marshal had just scolded him instead.

Noctis had grown quickly accustomed to regular visitors, often relevant to his recently discovered (amongst their close circle) pregnancy, and so wasn't surprised when Cor eventually showed up. Honestly, he'd expected him sooner.

He always came to advise, calmly, what they should do and Noctis felt that he somehow knew, through Cor's innate psychic powers, that they'd come to a hundred disagreement on what should happen with the soon to be actual kids and not just a small pregnancy. If he knew that his dad had figured it out, Cor would be next in line, tying in place with Clarus.

Their fathers were weirdly intuitive. Maybe it came with the territory of having children, and Noct should expect to be the same upon having some of his own.

They were now at the long dining table once more, and when offered a seat, Cor simply shook his head and leant against the doorframe, arms already crossed over his chest.

Noct sat. He watched as Ignis didn't, simply choosing to stand with a hand upon the back of a chair.

Luna and Nyx had gone to walk the dogs, and so were absent from what would probably be another lecture. Gods, Noct was already bristling.

"Can we help you, Cor?" He said, not at all intending to be rude but probably coming across that way. "I mean, we don't always get a visit from the marshal."

Cor raised an eyebrow. "You already know why I'm here."

Ignis nodded, expression all too serious, likely prepared for a lecture too.

"I understand that you're concerned about Noctis and Prompto's wellbeing. We've discussed everything at length. We've come to many hard decisions and we understand what we have to do in order to proceed." He stated, calmly.

Cor looked to Ignis, maybe not quite expecting them to be so prepared, but looking on anyway.

Either way, he finally turned to Prompto.

Prompto would probably never know, but Cor's attachment to him had worsened at the likelihood of anything traumatic happening to the kid during this road they were now on.

Barely anything had happened just yet, but he knew that they'd already had a hard time coming to an absolute decision and he knew the poor boy was sensitive, and caring. He wanted what was best for him.

Regis would compare the feeling Cor was having as 'fatherhood' to some degree, but Cor easily scoffed at that, unwilling to really broach the subject. He _had_ looked out for Prompto since he'd come back into their lives, and he felt some kind of duty towards him, as well as Noctis, even if he found that fact hard to swallow.

"I came to ask about your future plans. Scans, tests, etc. Do you know what you're going to do?"

Gladio had felt tired the moment Cor appeared at the door.

Not to get him wrong - he liked the marshal, he had taught Gladio everything he knew and was a damn good solider, and Gladio often got a good laugh at his expense, but he knew he meant business. This wasn't one of those times he could fuck around and get an exasperated sigh in response.

"If we could all agree, we'd answer. Lunafreya has come over to help with covering for this. As it stands, Ignis has been looking into doctors we can trust to not go to the media with this. That's about as far as we get before everyone starts having their own ideas,"

He didn't outright say Noctis and Prompto, but they _had_ been the most vocal about it.

For now, they needed to show Cor that they had given this some thought. 

Prompto, however, wasn't ever sure why Cor seemed so concerned with him; he put it down to his status as Noct's friend, but he saw a lot more of the marshal than most people.

Not that he minded; Cor was the closest he had ever gotten to a father figure (without stepping on Noct's toes, Regis had always been kind to him but Noctis was his blood), so it was nice to have him around. However, it just made this feel less like an official visit from the head of the Kingsglaive and more like a scolding by a disappointed father.

He could barely look at Cor, but he still had to stand his ground.

"We have scans coming up, but they don't really do much then, I think. They just like...confirm that there's a baby? I don't know, I'm not a doctor. I just know we're going ahead with this, as stupid and unfair as the plan is."

Yep, turned out he was still sulking about that. It felt like Prompto had never gotten any closure from it - he had just sat with Ignis rubbing his back until the tears had died down.

Cor nodded, eyelashes lowering as he considered them all, arms still folded.

He was effortlessly giving off the aura of someone who was calm but stern, which is exactly what he intended.

He couldn't say that this was the ideal situation. He could tell that Noctis was prickling at the mention of their plans, and he could see that Prompto was upset, but he knew better than most that the public could easily turn against them, and that he couldn't protect them all if that happened.

He also knew that he could barely protect them if the empire were to strike whilst their country was in disarray from the fallout.

Regis was weak enough as it was, and Cor wanted him to live to see his grandchild. Cor wanted a happier life for these kids, even if they had to do things the hard way.

Finally, he sighed and sat down, leaning on said folded arms atop the table. "So,"

Noctis braced himself for the incoming lecture. He knew it. This was what Cor had come here for - advice that Noct didn't need right now.

Cor paused, looking to Gladio this time. "Come up with any baby names?"

Noctis felt somewhat startled.

That wasn't....what he was expecting. He cleared his throat, looking at Ignis for clarification that that had happened, but Ignis looked just as surprised.

"Uh," He managed, finally. "We haven't thought that far,"

Cor then leant back in his chair, raising an eyebrow. "I guess you've got to wait to find out the gender, unless you're looking at unisex names."

He threw Noctis a look.

"Gonna name yours after your old man?"

Noctis pressed his lips into a thin line. He wouldn't have to if his dad lived to see the kid. He'd thought about that a lot recently too.

He pushed it to the back of his mind, willing to pursue a conversation that wouldn't end up in a yelling match for once.

"Who names their kid 'Regis'?" He quipped back, the edges of his lips twitching a little.

Gladio felt some of the tension leave his body as Cor sat down. He was a smart man, smart enough to stay away from something that could quickly turn into an all-out shouting match.

Honestly, Noctis and Prompto could do with some generic, normal baby talk.

In all the attempts to decide their course of action, neither of them had been given a chance to actually be excited about having kids, or even really to talk about it in a way completely devoid of politics. Gladio felt a little guilty for it: these were still early days, they still had a little bit of time and it seemed everyone knew what they had to do anyway, even if they weren't happy about it.

So sure, baby names. That sure wasn't something they'd gotten to yet.

"Hey, I wouldn't bitch about names, _Noctis_ ," He teased, grinning more easily than he had in a few days.

Prompto lit up a little when they started talking about names, infinitely grateful that Cor wasn't choosing to lecture them or remind them of duty or anything along those lines.

He was fed up of that talk, so now he laughed a little sheepishly, fiddling with his hair.

"Haven't had the chance to think of any names...but I have thought about whether or not they make tiny baby gloves!" He added, like this was a completely useful addition.

A thought occurred to him and he couldn't keep his grin down even as he tried to look serious, hand moving to his stomach. "But...I was thinking of naming it after you, Cor."

Catching onto what Prompto was doing, Gladiolus couldn't help but practically howl with laughter. It Looked like they could fuck around a bit after all, he just didn't expect Prompto to start it - he usually looked at the marshal with stars in his eyes.

Cor blinked, voice flat as his hands looked between Gladio and Prompto.

Of course, they were obviously pulling his leg, but he still gave them a _look_. "You better not be serious, kid. Don't curse your baby."

Noctis snorted, grateful for the laughter permeating the air now as he felt himself relax a little, propping his head up on his palm, which in turn leant on the table.

"Huh, and I always thought 'Gladiolus' was a dumb flower," He shot back, though his lips had turned into an easy smirk. He looked at Prompto, biting back the grin that would give away their little joke as he took his hand and placed his other one on his own stomach. "I...was thinking of calling the baby 'Cor' too."

Ignis shook his head, sighing, though a small smile had begun to form on his mouth, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"Cor is a very popular name, it seems,"

"Too popular," Cor said, gruffly, though no malice was meant by it. "C'mon, Prompto, think of a better name. You can't go into this without an idea of what you think the baby is gonna be like,"

Prompto offered a mock pout in response, giving Noct's hand a small squeeze as he took it in his own.

"Aw, you're no fun," He grinned, but Cor had a point. He hadn't thought as far as having an actual baby.

He didn't mind if it was a boy or a girl, but he began wondering. Would people be able to look at the baby and see him in them, or would they look more like Gladio? Would they have his loud, easy charm or would they take Prompto's more nervous disposition? Would they like the outdoors and going camping or prefer to be indoors? Prompto had no idea what to expect.

"I can't base its name on its personality, its not even born yet! It doesn't have one," He laughed, now trying to visualise what the kid would look like.

Gladio's laugh petered off into a soft chuckle, smiling fondly as Noctis joined in.

It felt like forever since the four of them had just enjoyed each other's company and had a laugh, and he was a little surprised that it took Mr No-Nonsense Marshal to bring it out.

"I don't know man, they're called sword lilies, that's a pretty badass name," He shrugged, responding to Noct's previous quip. "We're gonna have to get one of those books and shit, aren't we? Or we could do what dad did and just walk around a garden centre and see what catches our eye. Be honest, Cor, is that what he did?"

Prompto scoffed.

"We don't need a book, dude, there are like, a thousand baby name websites now. You just want more books."

"Hold on for a moment," Ignis said, moving away from the chair he'd been perched by to go to one of the nearby bookshelves. He scanned, using his index finger, through the titles of the books there, before bringing two out, heading back to the table with them.

Cor, meanwhile, couldn't hold back the small amused smile at Gladio's line of questioning, happy that the air had been cleared temporarily, and that they could now enjoy each other's company once more. "Isn't that what a lot of first time parents do? What do you want me to say, Gladio, your old man likes flowers. You like books. Name your kid 'Hemmingway' or something."

"Ok, but that's kind of a cool name. Their kid's name can't be cooler than mine." Noctis pursed his lips together in a mock pout, fading into a frown as Ignis brought over the books, dropping them onto the table.

He immediately recognised the outside layout of one of them and groaned, running his hand over his face. "Gods, no, please...."

Ignis smiled fondly at Noctis as he put the books side by side.

"One is a book of Lucian baby names, including names of the royal family from the lineage. The other is..." He paused, opening it slowly before sliding it around and up to face Prompto, Gladio and Cor. "A childhood memoir book of his highness. There are plenty of pictures of Noct in here. His teenage years ones are courtesy of Prompto."

Prompto instantly lept over to where Ignis was, giving Noct a half-assed wave first.

"Our kid's gonna be cooler than yours anyway, might as well have a cooler name," He was practically bouncing, turning his attention to Ignis. "Forget the name book, we gotta go through Noct's baby pics. We gotta!" He giggled, already turning to the photo album. "He never lets me see them! Except the ones I took, obviously."

It could be cool to go back to those years where school was the most important thing. Prompto kind of missed those years, even if adulthood had come with a few more perks.

Gladio snorted.

"I'm not calling it 'Hemmingway', that's just dooming the kid to be some depressed poet. Even if Blondie has a point, we'll find a different cool name,"

And that was a thought - the four of them together, deciding on names.

"And you're probably right anyway - we should probably know the gender first."

Prompto looked across the others, wondering why they were still having this discussion. They could go back to talking about baby names after embarrassing Noct.

So he started by opening the album, cooing immediately over the first one. "Dude, look at your little cheeks! They were so chubby!"

"Competing your kids already?" Cor tutted, shaking his head as he leant back, no longer able to bite back the small, bemused smile at their antics.

This was a much better atmosphere than the one he came in to. He couldn't help but feel a lot more relaxed when Prompto grinned, clearly enjoying himself.

"They'll both be just as messy. You wait. No one wins with kids."

"I'm sure that's not true, Marshal," Ignis responded with a small, thin lipped smile of his own, though he watched Prompto go through the pictures.

He sat, letting Prompto turn the pages but pointing out small things as they went.

"That one is of Noctis' 6th birthday, where he did not receive the black chocobo that he wanted. As you can see, the tear marks are still on his face even in this photo," His finger fell over a different photo, and his smile faltered for a moment at the small photo of Noctis in his wheelchair.

"This is Noctis after...." He paused, turning the page, smile returning though this time, it was hardly as genuine. "Well, that's not a particularly good photo."

That was all Ignis needed. A reminder that the empire couldn't have Noct's child, or Prompto's child, just the way they'd had Noctis and poor Lunafreya.

It wasn't fair, but if hiding it was what they had to do to keep everyone safe, then they would. Ignis would make sure of it, that they wouldn't slip up. He'd protect them.

Even if that meant that he couldn't be the father to his child that Noctis needed him to be, that Prompto desired him to be and that Gladio wanted him to be.

He pointed out a picture of Noctis asleep in the back of the regalia. "He never quite grew out of those chubby cheeks, did he?" He mused.

Noctis had, obviously, seen the previous picture and went quiet.

He immediately recognised Ignis' thought process, likely because it matched his own. To some degree, at least. Enough to make him go quiet as he fiddled with the drink that Ignis had gotten for him when the Marshal arrived.

"You'll see for yourself, Ignis." Cor rejoined the conversation with a humoured snort, relaxing in his chair.

Ignis hadn't turned the page fast enough for Prompto to miss the picture of Noctis, small in his wheelchair with almost empty eyes.

Suddenly it didn't seem so fun to go through the photos anymore - it felt like an invasion of Noct's privacy, even if they all knew about what happened. Ignis and Noctis both looked pensive and serious again, which felt worse after having just gotten that comfortable air back between them.

Unsure of what else to do, Prompto just nodded along with Ignis. "I guess they're not as chubby now,"

The baby pictures reminded Prompto how there were none of him. His parents had never taken pictures of him when he was little and Prompto had gone to great lengths to get rid of any photographic evidence of himself before the age of 14, still ashamed of how he used to look. No one had deemed Prompto worth taking pictures of until he started doing it himself. Even now, a lot of the photos of Prompto existed because he was the one that took them.

It was a pretty lonely thought, one he didn't want either of the kids to have. He wanted them to have big albums that documented their growing up, instead of having nothing to look back on. "Kids are allowed to be messy, anyway."

Gladio felt a frown return to his mouth as he looked to the others, already trying to think how he could get the previous mood back.

It wouldn't be good for Noct to reflect back on what happened (especially given his current situation), and the more he and Ignis thought, the more tense the mood got. Which would only snowball and put Prompto in a pretty low mood as well.

He went for the only thing he knew would definitely at least perk Noctis and Prompto up - setting up jokes at Cor's expense.

"Well when we get sick of them being messy we'll just let you babysit for a bit, so that's your problem now." He smirked, folding his arms.

Noctis perked up a little at that, looking up just in time to see Cor's nose scrunch up. The smirk returned to his lips, watching Cor over the rim of his drink as he downed some of it.

"Yeah," He placed the glass back down gracelessly. "That's definitely gonna be Team-Dad's job. Random babysitting with no pre-warning."

"Well, they'd be less chubby if he ate more vegetables," Ignis murmured in good humour, not doubting at all that Noctis had heard him say it but was choosing to ignore it.

He closed the baby photo book, instead opening up the second book, scanning through the pages as he sat. "We'll give them plenty of prior warning before we mercilessly descend with children for them to babysit,"

"Hey," Cor declared, sounded somewhat stern, though it was all through effort. "Kids and I don't go well together. Pay for a babysitter."

Humming, Ignis scanned through the baby names at his leisure. "I like 'Victus'," He said, candidly, even if no one could hear him.

Noctis shook his head. "Nah, if it's a boy, we're still going with 'Cor'."

Prompto hummed along with Ignis, now looking over at the other book with him.

Maybe they were jumping the gun a bit - they had just found out they were having kids, they still had a good nine months to think of names, but Victus...that was nice.

"How come it's in there twice? What does it matter of you spell it 'Victus' or 'Victis'?" Now they had to think of spelling too? Nah, that was a step too far. Prompto was sure spelling didn't come into it until month 3 at least. "But I'm with Noct, we have to call it 'Cor' if its a boy," He grinned a little, giving away that he was obviously joking about it.

Gladio smiled a bit more easily, seeing the mood lift a little.

"You are the babysitter, Cor. You get paid in us not coming over drunk anymore," He laughed, though a small thought occurred to him: would Cor even know how to look after a baby? He didn't have kids, after all.

Then again, neither did Gladio, and everyone was going to expect him to know how to look after kids so maybe that was an unfair judgement.

Prompto nodded between giggles, still smiling even as they died down. "It won't always be you, it'll be like a surprise! We'll just let you all know we need a babysitter and then show up to someone at random!"

"Russian roulette babysitting," Noctis nodded too, the curvature of his own lips twitching upwards as he spoke. "That's the best idea I've ever heard,"

Ignis sighed, though it was fondly at their antics, rather than exasperated. "I suppose we _will_ need a babysitter every now and then, as will Lady Lunafreya,"

"With that, I'm escaping before I get roped into anything else," Cor gruffly said once more, getting up out of his chair.

As he turned to leave, he looked to Prompto, nodding his head at him, gesturing for him to come with.

"A word in private, Prompto?"

Noctis' grin fell a little, raising an eyebrow.

What could Cor possibly have to say to Prompto and Prompto only? He looked to catch Gladio's eye, brows furrowed.

Prompto's smile fell as his face took on something more quizzical, only nodding at Cor before getting up to follow him, offering the others a small shrug as he did.

He had no idea what Cor could want to talk to him about in private, but he was sure he would just tell the guys when he got back from their chat. He hoped it wasn't anything bad - he had always kind of looked up to Cor, and his emotions were so high at the moment that there was a chance any bad news would result in tears.

He really didn't want to cry on Cor.

 Gladio shook his head at Noct, brows drawn in confusion.

He had no idea what Cor could want, but trusted him enough to not be stupid and make Prompto even more upset. The marshal had always seemed a little drawn to him anyway, maybe it was just nothing except a private catch up.

"Okay, but you're still on babysitting duty!" He called out as Cor left, watching as Prompto followed dutifully along behind him.

"You wish," Cor shot back, moving into the long hallway, far from where they'd be heard.

He paused there, running a hand up his own arm as he contemplated the best way to have this conversation. He'd always noticed that Prompto covered up his wrist. The barcode was likely still there. Then it wouldn't be too difficult to tell him where he was from; he was a smart kid who likely had it figured out already, bar Cor's involvement.

That's where he came in. It was his duty.

He cleared his throat, looking down to Prompto.

"Watching you all take such a great responsibility upon yourselves, I felt it was time for me to do the same." He started, not giving Prompto much time to interrupt.

It was best to just say it.

"Twenty years ago, I took a baby from Niflheim. I took it because it was in a lab, branded, probably subject to all kinds of terrible things, or, at least, it would be if it wasn't already.

He let a long, drawn out pause pass between them.

"So I stole it away to Lucis."

Prompto took a couple of seconds, first processing the fact that Cor had seemingly taken him aside to confess to stealing a baby from Niflheim, right before he started to piece it together.

He had recently turned twenty, and he had worked out from how shady his adoptive parents had been about his barcode and any mention of his birth parents that he wasn't from Lucis.

Still, something stung to hear it confirmed.

And...a lab?

"But, I mean, why were they doing that to a baby? Babies can't do anything," His voice was coming out weaker than he wanted it to, but there wasn't even that slim chance that he had parents that missed him back in Niflheim anymore.

He had just come from a lab; they had branded him, like he was property instead of a human being. Like they could scan him and know everything they needed.

"What-...what happened, once you got back? Why didn't you keep me--I mean, the baby?"

Prompto thought about his childhood, about the loneliness and neglect and how he had to learn to fend for himself because otherwise he wouldn't have survived. Could it have been different? Was there some universe where things were better than they had been? He wasn't sure he wanted answers anymore, but some of his questions had haunted him for as long as he could remember.

"Prompto," Cor began, mouth working to find a way to phrase this properly.

What was he supposed to have said? The truth? Well, that was all he had.

"I was young, and reckless. I wasn't even close to being ready for a child. We wanted to give you to a family where you'd have the best options. I'm sorry that that didn't work out the way it should have. I am." He placed a hand delicately on Prompto's shoulder, looking down into his blue eyes, able to see the hurt there.

This wasn't easy.

"As long as you aren't still in that lab, that's all that matters. You're here now. You won't let that happen to another kid."

Maybe Cor had a point - he wasn't in some lab in Niflheim having who knows what done to him, but Prompto was still in some kind of shock that wasn't easy at all to shake off.

"I guess, I mean I don't really blame them anymore - my parents, I mean. Who'd want to have to look after some baby they found in a Niff lab, right?" He laughed, but it came out bitter as he haltingly came to realise why his parents had never loved him. It was something he couldn't change - there was no way to make them love him or proud of him. They left him because of who (or what) he was.

"They were probably waiting for, I don't know, something about me to activate and kill them, right? Isn't that what everyone was waiting for?"

Now, it wasn't fair to shout at Cor, who had saved him from a much worse fate surely, but Prompto hadn't ever been able to reconcile that he was from Niflheim. To know now that he wasn't just a civilian, but a lab rat that could have been anything was even worse.

"I'm surprised they didn't just make you put me down." He finally concluded, miserably. 

Cor kept his calm, frown deepening.

Honestly, the kid had every right to be this upset. Clarus and Regis had been when they'd found out that his neglect had gone severely under the radar.

He felt partially to blame. Maybe if he'd had the guts to raise a kid, things might have been different. But then again, irregardless of his involvement, things could have played out the same. It didn't matter.

He had waited until Prompto had had his shouting match before speaking again.

"I'm sorry it worked out that way. You were just a baby, and it wasn't your fault. You can do better for your kid now. Make sure they don't ever have to deal with that," He offered up, as if that could somehow help. 

It didn't, because the colour was slowly draining from Prompto's face.

God, _his kid_.

If they ever wanted to take Prompto back - and they could, he was their goddamn property and always would be - they could do the same with his baby.

Maybe they would be somewhat protected since they would also have Amicitia blood but Prompto would be gone.

His head suddenly flashed through thinly veiled comments and the constant over-familiarity from Ardyn and he felt his blood run cold. He knew the whole time, didn’t he?

“But they-...but Ardyn-...fuck, he knows. He knows what I am! What if there’s something they did that we didn’t realise until now? Why the hell did they need a baby? What if...” His voice caught a little, shouting already starting to give way to tears, and he still really didn’t want to cry on Cor.

“What if he tries to take them too? It’s right there on me, they can prove I belong to them, what if they take the baby as well?”

Suddenly he was struck with such an intense need to get out - to get away from anyone who might have any idea of where he came from and hide away somewhere far, so he could guarantee his safety and his child’s. Would Regis really make the effort for him, since he had to know as well? Would Clarus, even if the baby was his grandchild, or did Prompto’s blood taint them?

“So all this stuff Regis gave me about seeing me as family and humouring me, was it just some way of keeping me close in case I became a threat? None of it was real, was it?” That was the thought that finally pushed him to tears, realising that everything about him was a lie. He could never just be his whole self - the guys would never accept that.

The need to run was almost crushing.

In the other room, Noctis fidgeted in his chair, able to hear raised voices. "Do you think we should go in to them?"

Gladio, too, had been frowning ever since he heard Prompto start shouting. In part, it was because he knew he idolised the marshal, he’d thought that he'd never shout him down.

“Better let them finish up,” He advised - whatever it was, it was best to let Prompto get some closure on it.

Cor wanted to contest everything Prompto was saying, but couldn't find the words between the other's breaths and shouts.

By the time Prompto burst into tears, Cor was pretty certain that there was nothing he could say to make this right or to quell completely all of Prompto's worries.

That nagging sensation that he should take some responsibility lingered in his head, and he raised his hand, as if to pat Prompto on the shoulder, before sighing and bringing the blonde into a firm hug. He knew that Prompto was a highly tactile person, and he was aware of the merits of this method of soothing him. Mostly, he just felt he owed it to him. The kid was due a hug and had been for many years.

He let him cry like that for a moment, rubbing his back firmly. "Listen, no one is lying to you. If they didn't want you around, if we all thought you were a threat, do you even think you'd be having this kid? You have a chance at a happy family, like you deserve, and we all want that for you."

Almost as soon as Cor pulled him in, Prompto clung like his life depended on it, tightly holding onto his shirt as he sobbed loudly onto his shoulder.

He needed this - he had a lot of information about himself to reconcile and he had to reevaluate his relationship with a lot of people, so having Cor there offered some comfort. He wanted to take what Cor said at face value, but he couldn’t just accept that everyone was so okay with this 'Niff' baby. His parents definitely never were.

“But I don’t, because we have to do all this secret stuff and I don’t know how Gladio feels about it and it’s all wrong,” He started sobbing again, now partially because everything was broken and nothing was going the way Prompto wanted it to and maybe this was all just the worst idea.

"If you don't know how he feels about it, there's one solution to that," Cor said, in low tones. He made an active effort not to pity Prompto - pity was not what he needed right now, but firm guidance. Cor could offer that much, at least. "You've gotta talk to him, and the rest of them. Especially his highness. This secret stuff doesn't seem to be sitting well with him. I know you all at least sorta love each other, right? That's a start."

Prompto sniffled into Cor’s shirt, nodding slightly.

He knew he needed to talk to Gladio and he probably needed to talk to them all about this before the babies were born, but he still couldn’t shake the thought of them sending him away, disgusted that they had ever allowed a Niff into their lives.

He would be alone again, now having to care for himself and his baby. He couldn’t go back to that.

“But what if-...I mean, you know how they feel about Niflheim. What if it...changes things?” He pulled back a little to look up at Cor with watery, unsure eyes.

"Kid, they'll want you no matter what if you're what they want. They won't care. Talk to them." He surmised, rubbing Prompto's arm this time as he pulled back from a hug he wasn't used to. Not that he was complaining, he just simply wasn't used to tactile bonding.

But it didn't matter, so long as Prompto felt better and he'd actually gotten through to him.

Noctis had gotten impatient sitting there, listening to muffled conflict, a little worried at what could possibly be happening in the corridor. Despite Ignis' protests that they should leave them to their privacy, he made his way out to them, standing tentatively in the doorway.

"Hey," he began, trying to piece together what could have happened from what he was seeing. "Everything ok?

Prompto wiped at his eyes as soon as he heard Noctis, trying to even out his breathing.

He looked up at Cor and offered him a small, uncertain nod before looking to Noctis, plastering a smile on his face. “Yeah, everything’s cool dude, what’s up?”

 Gladio, at this point, had followed Noctis out, trying to tell him to come back in and let Prompto finish talking to Cor.

He was struck immediately by Cor actively touching someone, and by Prompto trying valiantly to look like he hadn’t been crying.

“What’s happened here?” He probed, cautiously. 

Noctis narrowed his eyes, looking between the two with a look that said 'I can't be fooled', though often, that wasn't the case. In this circumstance, however, he knew for sure that something had gone on and Prompto really didn't want to spill it.

He glanced back at Gladio, seeing if he had his support if he pressed them on it.

"You're crying," He said, bluntly but obviously concerned. He moved to touch Prompto's arm, throwing a very wary look at Cor. "What did you tell him?"

Cor shook his head, taking a step back. "It's really not my place to divulge that information." 

Prompto nodded, giving Cor a thankful smile for not giving anything away or pressuring him into trying to talk to the guys. While this was extremely hard to swallow, he was kind of glad Cor told him. He had some kind of closure now on a lot of things he didn't know before.

"Dude, I'm always crying at the moment," He put his hand over Noct's, trying to get through to him before he started shouting at Cor. "It's fine, really, I'm super embarrassed for crying on Cor anyway," He laughed a little, hoping it would stop them questioning.

Gladio knew what avoiding the question looked like when he saw it, and currently both Cor and Prompto were doing it.

Obviously there was something they were keeping quiet and he guessed from Cor's answer that it was more to do with Prompto than Cor. Whatever, he was right - if it was Prompto's secret, it was down to him whether or not they knew.

"Right," He said in a conclusive tone, knowing getting information out of Prompto could be extremely difficult if he didn't want to talk about it. "Well, as long as no one's dying,"

"Is it about the baby?" Noctis asked, again bluntly, but with a softened tone as he considered Prompto's face, awkwardly lifting his hand from Prompto's to run a thumb under his eye. "Is it ok?"

Ignis interrupted Noct as he also appeared, having decided that leaving the other two to handle this alone wasn't the greatest idea. Thankfully, and down to Gladio's abundance of emotional intelligence, it looked like any escalation had been quelled.

"Noct, it's best not to continue to rile Prompto up when he's already upset. I have put the kettle on, and I will have warm tea for anyone who needs it,"

"Sounds great, but I'm heading off." Cor moved away from the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "There's still a lot more you guys need to sort out,"

Ignis nodded as he led Cor to their heavily secured door, typing in their exit code.

As he headed out, Cor nodded back to Prompto. "Don't call the kid 'cor', ok?"

“I can’t promise anything,” Prompto called after the marshal, managing a small grin through the remaining tears.

He still had a lot to work through, but Cor did the right thing by telling him. Prompto would have been angry if he’d continued to keep secrets that involved him.

As Cor left he turned to Ignis.

“We’re not allowed tea, are we? They say caffeine’s bad for babies,” He frowned a little in confusion, nose scrunching. “The baby’s fine, but what am I gonna do without caffeine for nine months? Man, it’s a good thing Iggy’s not having a baby. He might die,”

He leaned a little on Noctis, feeling comforted by his presence next to him.

At least the baby was okay. Gladio was certain that Prompto would tell them in his own time if he wanted to. Having more secrets didn’t sit well with him, but it wasn’t his call to make. He’d respect that.

“Can’t have a lot of things, I’m afraid. But Iggy’s got the right idea - you can sit down and drink something,” He headed towards the kitchen as Cor left, waiting by the door for the others to join him.

As Cor left, Ignis heaved a sigh, returning to the three. He studied them for a moment, before turning his attention particularly to Prompto. He touched his shoulder gently, letting him lean on Noctis. If he needed physical comfort, they could give it, but until then...

"Prompto, I understand that there's a lot that you cannot, or will not talk about. That's okay. Just know that we're here for when you do feel comfortable sharing it with us and we wouldn't dream of abandoning you, whatever it is."

Noctis nodded, easily agreeing with Ignis as he put his arm around Prompto's shoulder, letting him collapse his weight on him. Noctis had never been particularly tactile, but when it came to those three, it sometimes seemed effortless, even if comforting wasn't his strong suite. Finally, he followed Ignis and Gladio to the kitchen, suddenly thirsty himself.

"Wait," He paused at the doorway. "Does this mean I can't have my pain meds?"

Prompto gave Ignis a nod, willing for this to be the end of it.

He didn't want to talk about what he'd just found out; he needed time to get used to it, to let the information settle into something he could accept.

Or as close as he could come to acceptance anyway, since knowing where he came from had always been a point of insecurity and internal conflict. He had a lot of questions that not even Cor could answer and he was by no means ready to take the leap and tell the guys, even if he could fill in more gaps now than before. It was one thing for Ignis to say they'd stand by him but he couldn't take the chance just yet that his stance might change once they knew.

He appreciated Noctis for changing the conversation. Which brought a whole new problem.

"Wait. I take meds too, and I stopped taking them just in case - can I still have them?"

Gladio paused.

Ah, shit. They hadn't even taken into consideration that the two had medication they needed to take. Given how strong Noct's painkillers were and how Prompto's affected his brain, it was unlikely they could keep taking them.

But hell, he wasn't a doctor. Maybe there was a work around.

Still, he'd rather be safe than sorry.

"I'm pretty sure you guys can't take those either. Right, Iggy? We'll just have to figure something out," And yeah, that was pretty much their attitude to this whole thing. Just figure it out.

Ignis paused too, worrying his lower lip between his teeth.

"I thought we'd already had this conversation. I must have been mistaken. I apologise, I've been somewhat frazzled lately," He ran his fingers through his blonde hair, which hadn't been gelled up in a few days, having stayed down whilst he dealt with all of this.

It wasn't that Ignis had forgotten to take care of himself, but merely that he'd had other things to consider. They were getting older now. He could re-figure out how to style his hair once he'd managed to figure out how to raise a child. Even Noctis hadn't had his usual spikes at the back of his head for Prompto to run his hands through.

"Prompto can't take his ADHD medication, and Noctis, if you must, take over the counter pain medication as advised and as minimally as possible. I've already arranged for a trusted Doctor to talk to you both about what you can do in emergencies and what we plan to do going forward, Prompto."

Noctis had already made it to the table, having gone a little bit quiet, brow furrowed as he contemplated what Ignis had said.

Seemingly, it was time for them all to have another issue.

Now that Cor had left, it all came flooding back - the magnitude of this decision. Noctis wasn't a fool to think this pregnancy was going to be painless, especially without his meds, and he could already imagine the sleepless nights Prompto had ahead of him.

"What if my baby gets sick?" He asked, though it was more of a statement. Another quiet moment, and Noctis tried to draw up the image of his mother's face. "What if I die because of this baby?"

With Noct's fears, Prompto's own came flooding back.

On top of everything Cor had just sprung on him, he had to consider how they'd even make it through this. He felt his panic start to come up when Noct mentioned he could die. Prompto wasn't so scared of that for himself; he would be glad he even made it this far, but what if they did something in Niflheim that would stop him having children? What if there was something inside him that would hurt his baby?

What would he do if something happened to Noctis?

"You...you can't, right? The doctors know how to stop that, right?" His head was starting to run away with itself and he knew he was babbling instead of really reassuring Noctis, but he was scared now. "What if my baby has ADHD too? Its a lot and what if people just think they're being annoying?"

Prompto tried to be good-natured about it and medication helped a lot, but his head could be too much, even for him, to deal with and sometimes it meant he couldn't handle things like listening to people talking or wearing certain clothes. He had struggled so much to make friends as a kid. He spent years hating how he looked and still hadn't fully climbed that hurdle, he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it if his kid had to go through the same thing.

"What if they can't make friends with other kids? Or they don't like how they look, or they struggle at school too?"

Another thought made his voice quiver a little, panic starting to spike. He couldn't shake it. "What if my baby doesn't make it?"

The unspoken ' _it would be my fault'_ , well, he kept that to himself.

Gladio clenched and unclenched his fists.

Fuck, okay. The last thing they needed was Noctis and Prompto really freaking out.

They had only just about calmed down (not including whatever Cor and Prompto had just talked about) and were already getting worked up about things that might not even happen. They were right in that it could, however, and shit, that wasn't something Gladio wanted to think about. He didn't need to be freaking out as well.

"Look, it'll be fine. No one's going to die, alright? The doctors know what they're doing and everything else is something we can work with. It'll be fine," He tried to be firm but shot Ignis a brief look, hoping for some back up here.

Noctis opened his mouth, still standing by the table, whipping around to Gladio as if to join in with what Prompto had to say. He had a thousand more worries to add to that.

' _What if my dad never gets to see this baby? '_ He thought, and as he made to say that out loud, Ignis stopped them with a loud 'enough'.

Once Ignis had spoken, he'd felt somewhat guilty. It was good for them to air their worries. What wasn't good was to work themselves into a hysteria.

He'd caught Gladio's look and nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with what he was saying.

"If we're going to do this, and we're certain we are, we have to make sure every corner is covered. Prompto, I know that ADHD is genetic, but we've made leaps and bounds with treating yours and we know what we're looking for. If your child is similar, we'll recognise it early and be able to get him the appropriate treatment too. Or her. Whatever the gender, your baby will have the best and most care we can offer. They won't struggle as you did,"

"What about my issues? You think all the doctors in the world could save my mom?" Noctis felt himself choke on his words and immediately regretted saying them. He also sounded much like a displeased and unruly child, and hated the way he felt in that sense too. If something went wrong, all of this would have been for nothing.

At that moment, he made a secret promise to himself that he'd talk to Luna more on how to reveal it to the public. That, however, he kept silent.

As sorry as Ignis felt for Noctis, he was firm when he spoke back to him.

"We have better technology and we know enough about what happened to you and your condition to not let that happen. Please, both of you, trust that Gladiolus and I have looked into this already and I, for certain, will not allow anything to happen. I won't allow any mistakes. So if you're certain, so am I,"

Noctis went quiet.

Something about Ignis admitting that he was ready to have these kids with them made his chest clench, and he could have cried at the thought that this might all work out and they could have a family, alongside the thought that it very much wouldn't.

After allowing a long stretch of silence between them, he breathed out. "When's the next scan? Isn't it Prompto's, and then mine the next day?"

Ignis might have calmed some of the fears Prompto had about Noctis or his baby being hurt or dying, but he didn't get everything else. He didn't understand Prompto's fear that a long time ago, some scientist had messed with him in a way that would harm his own baby. It wasn't a fear Prompto could give voice to and by extension, one he couldn't get reassurance for.

If that were the case, were Lucian doctors well trained enough to go up against Niflheim technology?

And Ignis and Gladio didn't get it; they didn't know what it was like to grow up completely alone, to learn to fend for yourself or die trying. They didn't know what it felt like to run past every mirror in your house because you couldn't stand the way you looked. They didn't know what it was like to be twenty years old and still haunted by the voice of a child trying to be helpful but also pointing out what you desperately tried to avoid, that you were _heavy._  

Prompto shook his head, not sure where to begin voicing any of this or the way it'd break his heart if his own kid had to go through it. "You don't get it."

Gladio frowned deeply at Prompto, not sure what he was trying to get at. He had thought that he and Ignis had done a pretty good job of covering all bases, but Prompto still looked pretty distressed.

At least Noctis seemed to be calming down a little, and Gladio nodded at him, still considering Prompto's words.

"Yeah, Prom's first. But hey, you'll both be fine. It'll all go like it's supposed to and you'll feel better once a doctor says it," Maybe the words would have more weight coming from a medical professional.

Prompto was nervous about things that wouldn't be in the scan. Sure, it'd be nice to hear a doctor say everything was fine, but his brain had jumped right ahead to when the baby was born. The scan wouldn't tell him if his kid would have any of his insecurities or baggage.

"I, um, I don't know what to do. Or where to go. And Iggy doesn't let me drive off my meds anyway," He said, defeated.

Right, Iggy probably wouldn't let him anywhere near the car while he was off his meds and running on pregnancy hormones. That wouldn't be a problem and Gladio scoffed a little, even though he smiled.

"You won't be going on your own, genius."

This time, the corners of Ignis' mouth lifted in a small smile.

Of course, this was likely something to do with Prompto's earlier secret, and Ignis was sure they'd find out eventually what that was, but for now, the best they could do was to carry on as normal. He'd tell them in his own time, when he was ready.

He moved to Gladio's side, arms folded neatly across his chest.

"I think it's best Gladio goes with you for your first scan. That way, even if we're all....together, so to speak, he gets the full father experience. I wouldn't want to intrude."

Gladio snorted. "You'd never be intruding anyway, Iggy. This is your kid as much as it is mine, but to save crowding the room, yeah, of course I'll go."

Noctis nodded, leaning back in his chair as he dropped down into it.

"Yeah, I'll wait to see you after, just so you can surprise me with the gender," This time, a small grin touched his lips, looking up at Prompto. "I hope it's a boy. Then you could really call it Cor,"

Prompto suddenly looked shocked, finally latching onto something more positive than the multitudes of things that could go wrong.

"Wait, they can tell you the gender this early on?" He spoke, even as he wondered what the gender was going to be. He could start really thinking about names once he knew. "I mean if it is a boy, I kinda have to call it Cor, duh,"

Though maybe there was actually more sentimentality to it, given that Cor was the reason he was there in the first place. That was kind of like naming a kid after his dad, right? Maybe Cor would appreciate it more if he phrased it like that.

Or maybe he would just pick a different name. That one Ignis said earlier sounded nice.

Gladio shook his head.

"We are not naming our kid 'Cor'," He laughed, thinking, hey, _this_ was more like it. This was how these things were supposed to go, with pretend arguments over names. "I guess that means you're going with Noct then, Iggy? Doesn't make sense for him to go alone either,"

He still hadn't puzzled out how Ignis felt about it all, but he should go to one of these things. Gladio knew he'd regret it if he didn't.

"This is Lucis. They can tell you the gender just by looking deeply into your eyes," Noct joked, feeling the atmosphere lighten a little. That was good at least. All this arguing was already getting Noctis tired, and tired meant migraines, and there was nothing he could do about it now.

"What was that name you found earlier? Victus? Victis? ....Victor?"

"There were many variations of the name, yes, Noctis," Ignis smiled, softly. That smile flickered on his lips at Gladio's suggestion, however, and he quickly cleared his throat and turned to go through one of the cupboards.

Going with Noctis to the scan was a big thing. He knew it was. He could barely contain his guilt that he was the one who put Noctis in this position, let alone seeing the real live thing that he'd put inside him.

"I'll go," He said, finally, because it was expected of him. He had a lot of emotion to sift through before then, and he desperately needed to pull himself together. He still couldn't get the word 'statistically' out of his head.

Prompto, however, giggled along with Noctis and felt a little relieved that Ignis said he'd go to one of the scans as well. It just made it all seem a little more normal and by extension something Prompto could deal with.

So he nodded along with Noctis, feeling better for him.

"Yeah, that one was nice! But its no Cor," He said playfully. "Even if its a girl, we'll name her...Cora. Corie? Corella?" He was making himself laugh now, this deep uncontrollable thing that left him wheezing with his own humour. "Can you imagine? He'd kill us!"

"Those were all awful. I vote the one from the book," Gladio suggested, but Prompto's laughter was infectious and he found himself laughing along.

He gave Ignis an approving nod even if the man didn't see it.

"Good, keep Prince Charmless out of trouble."

It was definitely the right call, even if he was still clearly conflicted.

Gladio hadn't entirely come to terms with it either, but dammit, he was going to do it _right_ and he knew Ignis wouldn't accept any less either.

With that, the idea of their little family coming together finally started to feel like something to properly look forward to, and the rest of the evening was punctuated by more laughter and easy smiles, even if the low thrum of anxiety took longer to shift. 

With their upcoming scans being discussed, Gladiolus took a moment to consider the idea of his kids, and their future. 

He allowed himself to think that, after everything they'd all been through and were going to go through, they'd do it together. 

Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE AT THE END OF CONFLICT (for now) WAHEY 
> 
> Baby scans, coming up, alongside some more cute bonding moments! 
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as we enjoyed writing this, and we appreciate all of your feedback and love! I know this is just some dumb mpreg rp we did but I loved this little world and all of the little niche elements to it and to know that you guys are coming along for the ride and actually enjoying it is (chef's kiss)


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